Giant-killers Morocco’s mercurial run was halted in the semi-finals by France, but not before they gave a fine account of themselves by beating teams like Belgium, Spain and Portugal before that. However, when they met Luka Modric’s Croatia in the group stages, they had a tough time and the match ended 0-0. That’s the reason Regragui did not prefer to talk down his opponents this time. “We always knew that Croatia were among the best teams here. Many thought that Croatia [who finished second in the 2018 edition in Russia] were approaching the end of their cycle. In our group match, there was a lot of hesitation as it was the first game for both of us. Now, we have both reached the semi-finals, so this one will be a great game,” added Regragui, going on to praise his gritty opposition skipper, Modric, 37, who will be playing his last World Cup fixture. “Modric is a warrior. He is highly competitive and will be keen to finish his World Cup in style, so we should be wary of him. Hats off to him though, he’s 37, is a Ballon d’Or winner and has been phenomenal throughout this tournament,” Regragui signed off. 

Also Read: FIFA World Cup 2022: We are the Rocky Balboa of this World Cup, says Morocco coach Walid Regragui