Kylian Mbappé-Achraf Hakimi showdown could decide France-Morocco

AL RAYYAN, Qatar – France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris knows exactly what it's like to desperately want to crush a loved one's dream.

That was the situation Lloris found himself in last weekend, when Les Bleus captain stared down his England counterpart, longtime club teammate and close friend Harry Kane late in the World Cup quarterfinal meeting between their nations. When Kane blazed what would've been a crucial equalizer for the Three Lions over the crossbar from the penalty spot, it marked easily the worst moment of his career. And nobody was happier than Lloris.

"Even though you might be friends off the pitch, if you're involved in World Cup match and you're representing your country, that takes precedence," Lloris said Tuesday, a day before France and Morocco meet in the semis (2 p.m. ET, FOX and the FOX Sports app). "Your competitive spirit takes over."

Wednesday's game will feature an even more intriguing duel between friends when French superstar and Qatar 2022 leading scorer Kylian Mbappé directly matches up with Morocco's Achraf Hakimi.

The two play together at Paris Saint-Germain and are even closer than Lloris and Kane. They're less than a year apart in age. They share similar interests away from the field and spend time together socially; just last week, Mbappé, who led France to the 2018 title as a teenager, visited Hakimi at the Moroccan squad's hotel.

Now they stand in each other's way of getting to the biggest game in their sport or any other.

"The only thing I came here for was to win the World Cup," Mbappé said after France's round of 16 victory over Poland. To do it and become the youngest player since Brazilian great Pelé to win the competition twice, he'll have to send Hakimi home. Meantime, Hakimi – who Mbappé hails as the "best right back in the world" – wants nothing more than to break his buddy's heart. 

It's a fascinating subplot to an already intriguing contest between two teams – and nations – with plenty of other ties. Hakimi and Mbappé won't be the only club teammates on opposite sides on Wednesday. Moroccan left back Noussair Mazraoui, who will be charged with stopping Ousmane Dembélé on the opposite wing, starts for German champ Bayern Munich, which employs four members of France's roster: Kingsley Coman, Lucas Hernandez, Benjamin Pavard and Dayot Upamecano.

French reserves Matteo Guendouzi and Jordan Veretout play at Olympique Marseille with Amine Harit, while Morocco center back Nayef Aguerd and Alphonse Areola are both at English Premier League side West Ham. But Hakimi and Mbappé are the only ones projected to go head-to-head, and the winner of their battle could well determine which team prevails – a unique challenge for both.

"It may be more difficult to face a teammate because you know each other so well," said Lloris, who has lined up alongside Kane with Premier League Tottenham for a decade. "You can't surprise them."

Mbappé was held mostly in check against England by another fast, athletic fullback in Kyle Walker. Hakimi has more attacking responsibilities in France-born coach Walid Regragui's counterattacking scheme and is leading his team in total touches through five games. But he's also been flawless defensively far, as has the rest of his team. No foe has scored on Morocco in Qatar; the only goal the Atlas Lions have conceded, in the group stage against Canada, was inadvertently turned into their own net by Aguerd.

"They've got the best defense at this World Cup," French coach Didier Deschamps said Tuesday of Morocco. "They're extremely well organized, they keep their shape very well and they have some very good attackers when they break, so they've been very effective as well when they've gone forward."

So has France, with Mbappé leading the way. While some stars have struggled in knockout games when defenses tighten – all eight of Portugal icon Cristiano Ronaldo's career World Cup goals have come in the first round, as have eight of 10 for Argentina's Lionel Messi – Mbappé already has two in 2022 and four (out of nine) overall.

Still, Regragui believes that Hakimi is up for the challenge.

"It's gonna be a great duel between the two," he said. "They're both champions, world-class players and they're both going to be going at it.

"We should be focusing on what we can do to cause problems for France, and of course if we are to do that, we're going to have to counter the threat of Kylian," he added. "But I have no doubt that Hakimi will be on top form to get the better of his friend."

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• Penalty takers are finding success down the middle at World Cup 2022
• Women's World Cup 2023: Five reasons to get excited right now
• World Cup 2022 odds: Kylian Mbappé favorite to win Golden Boot, Golden Ball

Doug McIntyre is a soccer writer for FOX Sports. Before joining FOX Sports in 2021, he was a staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports and he has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams at multiple FIFA World Cups. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.