Morocco's Ismael Saibari ruled out of quarterfinal against France
· Yahoo Sports
As Morocco prepares to take on France at Boston Stadium (Gillette Stadium) on Thursday, July 9, the Atlas Lions have been dealt an unfortunate injury blow in their pursuit of a second straight World Cup semifinal appearance.
Star forward Ismael Saibari has been ruled out for the quarterfinal against Les Bleus after suffering a hamstring injury during Morocco's 3-0 Round of 16 win over Canada on Saturday, July 4, at Houston Stadium (NRG Stadium). Saibari, who was subbed out of that match in the 22nd minute, underwent an MRI in Boston on Monday, July 6 that showed while the injury isn't severe enough to rule him out of the tournament if the Atlas Lions advance, it was enough to keep him from a second appearance in Foxborough.
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"Everyone's available, except Saibari, with the match coming too early for him," Morocco manager Mohamed Ouahbi said in a press conference Wednesday, July 8, adding he was hopeful he could return for a potential semi-final.
Saibari has been the Atlas Lions' leading goal scorer this tournament, finding the back of the net three times, including the lone goal in a 1-0 Group C win over Scotland on June 19.
Without Saibari, Morocco will look to turn to fellow forward Soufiane Rahimi, who came on for Saibari against Canada and scored the final goal late in extra time, as well as midfielder Azzedine Ounahi, who recorded a brace against Les Rouges in Houston. Captain and defender Achraf Hakimi will also look to get more involved in the attack, alongside the Atlas Lions' tournament assists leader, Brahim Díaz.
On the opposite end, Morocco will be tasked with containing one of the most potent attacks at this summer's tournament, led by France captain, forward and Golden Boot challenger Kylian Mbappé (7) and Hakimi's Paris Saint-Germain teammate and forward Ousmane Dembélé (4), who recorded a hat trick against Norway at Boston Stadium on June 26.
This is the first meeting between the two sides since the 2022 World Cup semi-finals in Qatar, which Les Bleus won 2-0 to advance to a second straight final before ultimately falling to Argentina.
Kickoff for the final World Cup match in Foxborough this summer is scheduled for 4 p.m., with the winner moving on to face either Belgium or Spain in a semifinal at Dallas Stadium (AT&T Stadium) on Tuesday, July 14.
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Morocco's Ismael Saibari ruled out of quarterfinal against France