Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi was delighted to send a warm message to his PSG teammate and good buddy Kylian Mbappe ahead of Morocco and France’s semi-final tie on Wednesday, December 14 immediately after Les Bleus sent the Three Lions packing after the latter’s skipper Harry Kane botched his second penalty kick.
Hakimi is now lounging in new stratospheric heights with his national team after Morocco’s historic win today, having become historically the first African nation to advance to the semi-finals of the World Cup.
The Moroccans also eliminated Portugal – one of the favorites of the final stages of the tournament – in what had become Cristiano Ronaldo’s final outing on the world stage. Unsurprisingly, the Portugal captain was again seen making his by now customary, speedy departure down the tunnel instantly after the full-time whistle and was spotted in tears.
Mbappe and Les Bleus had the good fortune to savor a 2-1 win against England in their quest to lift the prestigious trophy back-to-back, with goals from Aurelien Tcouameni and Olivier Giroud securing the victory against Harry Kane’s solitary goal.
Les Bleus are obvious favorites heading into Wednesday’s encounter but would be imprudent to take the Moroccan threat lightly. Morocco are strong contenders, especially considering they have conceded just one goal all tournament – and an own goal for what it’s worth, meaning they are yet to concede from any opposition players’ own goal efforts.
Hakimi and Mbappe enjoy a close friendship and rapport as teammates at Paris Saint-Germain and have even shown support to one another throughout the competition.
When France’s progression to next round was confirmed, Hakimi tweeted to Mbappe: “See you soon my friend.”