Hugo Lloris has warned that Morocco’s fans are not ready to let their World Cup adventure stop.
France captain Lloris admitted that Morocco’s deafening support in Qatar could make it difficult to concentrate in their semi-final at Al Bayt Stadium on Wednesday night. And even though Morocco’s giant-killers have become one of the great stories of this tournament, Lloris is convinced they want to become “even bigger heroes”.
Morocco are expected to have around 20,000 fans at the semi-final and it should guarantee a red-hot atmosphere. Tottenham goalkeeper Lloris, hoping to win back-to-back World Cups, said: “We are trying to prepare for the expectations - whoever the opponent is, although we know it will be a hostile atmosphere in the stadium with all their fans.
“We have to keep our focus and be precise in terms of our tactics. We are all very excited by this semi-final and looking forward to representing our country as best we can.
“They will be tough and it will be a hostile atmosphere in the stadium, but we will be ready and remain calm. We've analysed the opponent and we have to be at the top of our game. We will need to raise our level.
“The further you go, the closer you get to a significant achievement and we all want to continue this adventure. We need to be focused. We've been able to relax, but the main focus is football.”
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Morocco have already beaten Belgium, Portugal and knocked out Spain on penalties while conceding just one goal at the World Cup, in their 2-1 group win over Canada. They face their toughest battle to date against world champions France and Lloris insists the Atlas Lions will not just be happy with reaching the semi-final.
Lloris said: "I believe that both teams have a lot to lose. It's the semi-final of a World Cup and unique opportunity to go to the final. Obviously, it's already a success for Morocco to be at this stage of the competition, but believe me, they won't stop! They will just want to carry on and to become even bigger heroes for the country of Morocco.
“So we have to prepare for the demands of the semi-final. It doesn't matter who the opponent is. We just try to put the focus, energy, concentration and strength into this game to make sure we don't have any regrets at the end.
"We are in admiration of what they've achieved, but they are our opponents and, at the end of the day, we are trying to get to a final, so our competitive spirit will take over. They have a steady defence and are good on the counter-attack.
“[Hakim] Ziyech is one of the key players in the team with a hard-working midfield. We need to ensure we are patient, and at the same time go for it and try to break them down as early as possible in the game. We need to avoid getting caught on the counter. We need to go out there and enjoy it and try to make a good team performance.”
France boss Didier Deschamps added on Morocco: “They are not just good in defence, they would not have reached a semi-final just by being defensive. They have very good attackers and are extremely well organised.
“I’ve watched all the Morocco games, we have tried to identify some key things in those games and we will try to take advantage of what we have seen.”
