After a tournament full of surprises, the Soccer World Cup is heading towards its conclusion on Sunday in Qatar, where the “absolute dream” of reaching the final at the Lusail stadium monopolizes the four semi-finalists before Argentina- Croatia on Tuesday and France-Morocco on Wednesday.
It will therefore have taken twelve years of preparations and controversy, then three weeks of breathless competition, to bring out this last square of contenders, quite unexpected in the absence of several big favorites like Brazil or Portugal.
Here is this quartet at the gates of glory, or of the desert, depending on whether they will play the sad match for third place on Saturday (4:00 p.m.) or the final for the title the next day (4:00 p.m.).
Everyone has a dream to accomplish in Doha, everyone fears a failure so close to the goal.
“Even a little closer to the absolute dream…”, summarized the French superstar Kylian Mbappé on Instagram after the qualification of defending champion France at the expense of England (2-1).
And for each of the four semi-finalists, the story would be nice to write: Mbappé’s France can become the first to retain their title since Pelé’s Brazil in 1962; Argentina would so much like to consecrate Lionel Messi as the worthy heir of Diego Maradona; and Croatia, 2018 runners-up, is a small country but a great footballing nation…
“Being the coach of Croatia was one of my dreams, but I couldn’t dream of what is happening now,” Croatian coach Zlatko Dalic savored on Monday.
As for Morocco, it carries the hopes of an entire continent, Africa, and of an entire culture, that of the Arab world, after becoming the first African nation to reach the last four aces.
” The right to dream “
“We had this energy from the Africans, from the Arab world, who send us these positive waves,” said Moroccan coach Walid Regragui after beating Portugal (1-0). “If an African team can go to the semi-finals, why not to the final? We have the right to dream. »
Dreaming, this word is in everyone’s mouths, on everyone’s lips, even those of losers, such as Cristiano Ronaldo, five-time Ballon d’Or winner disappointed to have let his “great dream” pass.
In the chase between the 37-year-old Portuguese and his eternal rival Lionel Messi, seven Ballons d’Or, it is the 35-year-old Argentinian who now has the upper hand: a planetary coronation would undoubtedly settle the debate of knowing which is the better of the two.
Star of this Qatari World Cup to the applause meter, the Paris SG striker advances carried by his destiny and by thousands of Argentinian supporters, for what is “surely” his last World Cup.
France-Morocco, rich in symbols
Sacred Ballon d’Or in 2018 after reaching the final of the Russian World Cup, Luka Modric nevertheless has his say on Tuesday at the Lusail stadium, where the Croats hope to return on Sunday to finally lift the legendary World Cup trophy.
“(Messi) doesn’t surprise me, he’s always been like that. It has always been a winner and a proud person, ”said his coach Lionel Scaloni on Monday. “As for Modric, it’s a pleasure to see him play. […] When you love football, you are happy to see these players on the pitch. »
In the other semi-final, France came out as the “great favourites” according to former Brazilian striker Ronaldo. The Blues have their stars and their experience on their side, which should prevent them from overconfidence.
“We have enough experience in the team not to fall into that trap. We know that Morocco is not there by chance,” noted defender Raphaël Varane.
Best defense of the competition with only 1 goal at its expense, the Moroccan team will do everything to go to the end of its epic, in a confrontation rich in symbols between two countries with very strong cultural and historical ties, and under the eyes of the French President Emmanuel Macron.
“We are living a dream and we don’t want to wake up,” summed up Moroccan international winger Sofiane Boufal, born in Paris.
A “dream” on everyone’s lips… but also in the feet of the players, since FIFA announced on Sunday that the last four of the tournament would be played with a new ball, baptized Al Hilm (“The dream”, in Arabic ), with facets decorated with burgundy shades reminiscent of the Qatari flag.