Morocco will go into its match against France without Ismael Saibari, the attacker forced off early against Canada and still not ready in time for a place in the semifinals. Mohamed Ouahbi said the player remained unavailable on the eve of the knockout match at Gillette Stadium.
That leaves Morocco facing France at 3h ngày 10/7 with one of its standout attackers missing and a repeat of the World Cup 2022 semifinal hanging over the game. Didier Deschamps' team won that meeting 2-0, but France now arrives as the strongest favorite for the title, according to Opta.
Saibari's absence matters because he was not just a forward in Morocco's structure. Ouahbi had used him in a false nine role, pulling him inside from the wing to help link play between the lines and open space for runners around him. Without that option, Morocco loses more than pace or finishing; it loses a player who could change the shape of the attack in the middle of the field.
Ouahbi still spoke like a coach refusing to shrink the moment. He said Morocco would enter with the determination to reach the semifinals, that the team had given too much respect to opponents in 2022, and that this time it had to play without fear, make France suffer whenever it had the ball, and use patience to exploit central space. He also said Saibari was not ready yet and hoped he could return for the next match.
That is the pressure on Morocco now: beat the favorite, survive without one of its sharper attacking pieces, and keep the tournament alive long enough for Saibari to matter again. If Morocco finds a way through, the question waiting on the other side is whether he will be fit in time to play again.
