Morocco midfielder and Liverpool transfer target Sofyan Amrabat has confessed he had a chat with Olivier Giroud mid-game and asked the France striker to stop man-marking him.
The two nations met in the World Cup semi-finals as Morocco became the first African nation to ever reach the last four of the competition, but that was as far as they could go as Les Bleus ran out 2-0 winners on the night. Theo Hernandez opened the scoring inside the first five minutes, before substitute Randal Kolo Muani put the result beyond any doubt late on.
Though they came into the game as huge underdogs, Morocco can consider themselves unfortunate to have not progressed to the final with Walid Regragui's side boasting 61% possession and a number of clear-cut chances.
Amrabat has been one of the breakout stars of the Qatar World Cup and after the game conceded he was surprised by the way in which France approached the game, especially with Giroud shadowing him throughout the clash, but viewed it through the positive lens that it was a compliment to Morocco.
"They left our centre-backs alone. Their striker, Olivier Giroud, was following me everywhere all over the midfield!," he told NOS at full-time. "I said to him, 'Just stop!' but he replied that he was instructed to follow me for the whole game."
"We feel very bitter that we couldn’t do more. France let us have the initiative from the start, so I guess that’s a compliment really.
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"Unfortunately, it was tough for us after stupidly conceding such an early goal and we had to play into their hands, especially with the pace they have up front. If you are 1-0 up it is easier to play football."
Despite ending in defeat at the hands of France, Morocco's World Cup run will live long in the memory of all who witnessed it and though the pain is still raw right now, Amrabat recognises their efforts are something to be proud of.
"When we look back, I’m sure we will realise that. But now it’s mainly just bitter," he insisted. "Will I be able to smile about it later? Maybe not. It’s even more painful when you get so close.
"But we should be proud that we played against the reigning world champions in the way we did. It’s a really big compliment to all of Morocco. We really gave everything."
Amrabat is currently plying his trade for Serie A outfit Fiorentina at club level, but the quality of his performances has prompted interest from Premier League giants Liverpool.
The Reds have long needed reinforcements in the centre of midfield and the fact that Didier Deschamps requested his striker focus on man-marking Amrabat suggests he is a player that boasts supreme quality and influence.
