Deschamps candidly addresses three key points after France's victory over Morocco to reach the World Cup semifinals for the third consecutive time.
On 10 July 2026, Didier Deschamps, head coach of the French national team, spoke after France's 2-0 win over Morocco in the World Cup quarterfinals. France became the first team to reach the semifinals, awaiting the winner between Spain and Belgium.
Deschamps admitted he was surprised by Morocco's starting lineup, which did not include a traditional striker due to Ismael Saibari's injury. He said, "I have great respect for Morocco, but I tried to understand what they were aiming to do."
"Their approach was to lure our defenders to push high up the field without using a traditional center forward, relying on the speed of their wingers to attack. But when we controlled possession and played disciplined football, it prevented them from creating danger."
The French coach also praised Morocco: "I have a lot of respect for this Moroccan team. They have a bright future. They reached the World Cup semifinals in 2022 in Qatar and now have made it to the quarterfinals again, which shows they have excellent players."
"This team is full of young players, many of whom have only 10 to 15 caps, except for Achraf Hakimi, who has played over 100 international matches. That makes me believe Morocco will have a bright and promising future."
Regarding France reaching the World Cup semifinals for the third consecutive time and aiming for a second world title before Deschamps leaves after his contract ends following this tournament, he said, "It is a testament. Reaching three consecutive World Cup semifinals is something to be very proud of."
"We missed early opportunities to score, but that did not discourage my players, especially Kylian Mbappé. As the game progressed, the opponents had to work harder, fatigue increased, and more space opened up on the field."
"We are on an important mission. We have only just reached the semifinals. We must not assume we've reached the peak because there is still a tough step ahead. After all, this is the World Cup."
