Brahim Diaz certain that Morocco will challenge France in World Cup quarter-final

[p]The Atlas Lions’ path to this stage has been a little bumpy, but Mohamed Ouahbi’s side have shown quality and fighting spirit in abundance on their third consecutive World Cup appearance.[/p][p]After starting with an impressive 1-1 draw against Brazil, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/morocco/IDKYO3R8/"]Morocco[/a] made sure of second place in Group C by downing Scotland 1-0 and then edging out Haiti 4-2.[/p][p]In the Round of 32, Morocco came up against the Netherlands, where they needed a late header courtesy of Issa Diop to take the game to extra time and then penalties, where they prevailed.[/p][p][b]Morocco then emerged victorious on penalties, before an Azzedine Ounahi brace and late Soufiane Rahimi goal sealed a comfortable 3-0 win over co-hosts Canada in the Round of 16.[/b][/p][p][b]Diaz has expressed excitement and confidence for the clash in Boston, insisting they have what it takes to beat [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/france/QkGeVG1n/"]France[/a].[/b][/p][infobox id="4ccc1b10-d68f-4c97-bcf4-5e613c17c2e3" /][h2]Morocco can compete with France[/h2][p][b]“My teammates make everything easier because we’re a tight-knit group,”[/b] Diaz said as quoted by FIFA.com.[/p][p]“We’re coming up against one of the favourites, but we’re here because we can compete with France and we’re among the contenders, too.[/p][embed guid="60e3085b-39d2-4ecd-a27a-619aacb744d0" url="https://x.com/FIFAWC26Updates/status/2075199319393947750" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]“We want to win. We’ll give it everything we’ve got and perform to our best.”[/b][/p][p]Diaz added: “They’re extraordinary players and wonderful people. However, we’ll be opponents and we all want to win.[/p][p][b]"That’s all that matters. I have faith in my team and I know we’re going to put in a great performance.”[/b][/p][p]With top striker Ismael Saibari set to miss the game owing to injury, Diaz said of what will be expected of him: “I always take responsibility. I thrive on pressure. These are the matches every player wants to be involved in and I’m ready. I feel confident ahead of the game and I know we’ll give it our best shot.”[/p][h2]Morocco's approach to remain the same[/h2][p]Diaz's confidence was echoed by coach Mohamed Ouahbi, who said: “Our team spirit is incredible. I feel that’s what makes all the difference in difficult moments.[/p][p][b]“I don’t think it’s just about experience. We’ve seen experienced sides get knocked out throughout the tournament. It’ll be such a positive atmosphere to play in.”[/b][/p][p]He added: “Our approach must always remain the same if we want to produce our best performances.[/p][p][b]“The way we work every day, whether it’s analysing matches or preparing for them, does not change, whether we are facing France in a World Cup quarter-final or Burundi in a friendly.”[/b][/p][p]Les Bleus emerged victorious when the two nations met in the Qatar 2022 semi-finals, with the Atlas Lions out for revenge as they target a second straight appearance in the World Cup last four.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/france-QkGeVG1n/morocco-IDKYO3R8/?mid=jJ5yWPhU"]Follow France vs Morocco with Flashscore[/a][/b][/p][image alt="Dennis Mabuka" id="009ee08a-c012-41bf-bdae-acba9770ea19" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="b3ce0fb2-21a3-4bf7-9afc-a9e9848e532e" original-width="1200" original-height="381" /]