Vieira backs Morocco to spring surprise
Patrick Vieira has tipped Morocco to be the dark horses of the World Cup, suggesting they have the quality to cause another upset and reach the latter stages of the tournament. The former World Cup winner, however, stopped short of predicting a repeat of their historic semi-final run from four years ago.
Morocco became the first African nation to reach a World Cup semi-final in Qatar 2022, eventually losing to runners-up France. Under coach Mohamed Ouahbi, the team entered this summer's tournament with high expectations after impressing in their opener with a 1-1 draw against five-time winners Brazil. Subsequent victories over Scotland and Haiti saw Morocco finish second in Group C, securing their place in the knockout rounds for only the third time in their history.
Morocco's path to the knockout stages
A tricky clash with Group F winners, the Netherlands, now awaits Morocco in the round of 32. If they can overcome Ronald Koeman's Dutch side, a winnable round-of-16 match against either South Africa or Canada could follow. Vieira believes Morocco have the individual quality to reach the last eight but doubts they can go further.
“I think the big nations at the end will get to the quarter-finals and semi-finals,” Vieira told The Rest Is Football podcast. “I think Morocco can be the team that can cause a surprise and I think they have enough individual quality to be in the last eight. But outside of Morocco I think it will be difficult for all the other (smaller) nations to go through and get to the last four.”
Lineker and Wright offer their dark horses
Former England striker Gary Lineker highlighted Ecuador as a potential banana skin in the knockout stages after their impressive 2-1 win over Germany. “Ecuador have gone into this tournament 19 games unbeaten,” Lineker said. “I know they lost to Ivory Coast earlier in this round but they don’t concede many goals so they could be a dangerous opponent, and it’s not inconceivable that they might face England on that way.”
Ian Wright, speaking earlier in the tournament, named the United States as his dark horses and predicted the co-hosts could reach the semi-finals. Mauricio Pochettino's side lost to Turkey in their final group game but will be favourites against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32. “I think America will get to the semi-finals,” Wright told FourFourTwo. “The reason I say that is because I think they have got a back four that is solid, they have midfielders who play at a good level and we saw with Flo Balogun that he can score goals. They have a fan base that is now starting to get it. Once the Knicks game finished, everyone started to say ‘right, let’s focus on the World Cup.’ I think that if they can continue with that momentum and play like that with that energy with a striker up front taking chances like that then they can get to the semi-final to meet England.”
Morocco's historic run and future prospects
Morocco's 2022 World Cup campaign was a landmark for African football, as they became the first team from the continent to reach the semi-finals. Their current squad, featuring a blend of experienced players and emerging talent, has shown resilience in this tournament. With a solid defensive record and attacking threats, they remain a formidable opponent for any team.
