(Doha) After a tournament full of surprises, the 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 semi-finalists before the match 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 are these four candidates at the gates of glory, or of the desert, depending on whether they will play the sad match for third place on Saturday or the final for the title the next day.
Everyone has a dream to fulfill in Doha, everyone dreads the mirage of a failure so close to the goal.
“Even a little closer to the absolute dream…”, summarized 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 beautiful to write: Argentina would so much like to consecrate Lionel Messi as the worthy heir of Diego Maradona; 2018 runner-up Croatia is a small country but a big soccer nation; and Mbappé’s France can become the first to retain their title since Pelé’s Brazil in 1962…
As for Morocco, it carries the hopes of an entire continent, Africa, and an entire culture, that of the Arab world, after becoming the first African nation to reach the last four.
” The right to dream ”
“We had this energy from the Africans, from the Arab world, who send us these positive waves which mean that at some point everyone wants this team to win”, underlined the Moroccan coach Walid Regragui after beating the 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, like Neymar, who said he was “psychologically destroyed” by the elimination of Brazil in the quarterfinals against Croatia (1-1 aet, 4 tab to 2), or Cristiano Ronaldo disappointed to have missed his “great dream”.
The five-time Portuguese Ballon d’Or, confined to the bench during the tournament, casts doubt on his international future… especially since “CR7” (37) has, for the time being, no longer a club.
But in the chase which opposes him to his eternal rival Lionel Messi, seven Ballons d’Or, it is the little Argentinian (35 years old) who now has the hand: a planetary coronation would undoubtedly settle the debate of knowing who 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 Argentine supporters, for what is “surely” his last World Cup.
France-Morocco, a duel rich in symbols
“We are among the four best teams in the world! “savored Messi after the electric victory against the Netherlands in the quarterfinals (2-2 ap, 4 tab to 3).
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.
In the other match, France are the favorites with their stars and their experience.
But Morocco, the best defense in the competition (only one goal conceded) will do everything to complete its epic, in a confrontation rich in symbols between two countries with very strong cultural and historical ties, and under the eyes of 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, called Al Hilm (“The dream”, in Arabic), with facets decorated with burgundy shades reminiscent of the Qatari flag.