Valery Nepomniachtchi believes that the Moroccan team played better than the French in the World Cup semi-finals

The Moroccan national team was not inferior to the French in the semi-finals of the World Cup, but the African team lacked such a leader as Kylian Mbappe or Lionel Messi, according to the former head coach of the Cameroon national team Valery Nepomniachtchi.

The meeting was held on Wednesday at the stadium “El Bayt” in El Howrah and ended with a score of 2:0 in favor of the French.

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– Valery Kuzmich, it turned out that the Moroccans are a more French team than the French themselves. In the Moroccan national team, more than half of the players were born or raised in France. And in the French team itself, it was considered that 13 football players came from other countries in one way or another.

Yes, that’s the kind of interpenetration. And the Moroccans played very well. I think, taken together, they were the best. With the exception of the role of the individual in history, because in the end everything is decided by specific people. And the figures that solved the problem are Griezmann and Mbappe.

The Moroccans created a lot of chances, but could not score. And Mbappe, with the second goal against them, simply created a masterpiece, slipped past four, rolled or hit the far one. He did everything great. Well, just like Messi. When necessary, it will sparkle so much that it is simply incomprehensible to the mind how such miracles are happening. Morocco did not have such a figure.

– Can the success of the Moroccans be called the opening of a new era of African football?

— God forbid. Of course, there are many talents. You just need to organize them, create conditions. And then be afraid.

Is football developing on all continents?

– I think yes. Southeast Asia is also on the rise, and the North American continent may soon compete. In 1994, the Americans at their home World Cup already made everyone nervous. But the next World Cup 2026 will be held on their territory.

– There will also be a huge championship, in which not 32, but 48 teams will take part.

— Yes, just some kind of horror.

– Who has a better chance at the World Cup in Qatar, Argentina or France?

“In reality, it seems to me that the French have some advantage, but I really want Messi to win the title,” Nepomniachtchi told Komsomolskaya Pravda.

In the final of the 2022 World Cup, the French will meet with the Argentina national team, which previously defeated Croatia with a score of 3:0. The game will take place on December 18 and will start at 18:00 (Moscow time). The Match TV channel, as well as the sites sportbox.ru and matchtv.ru will show the match live.

The Match TV channel is the exclusive copyright holder of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Russia. As part of an agreement with FIFA, Match TV received the opportunity to broadcast live, use fragments of games on television, broadcast and use highlights on digital platforms, as well as sell advertising inventory in broadcasts. Watch all 64 matches of the tournament on the platforms of Match TV channels.