Before their World Cup semifinal match against Morocco, Aurelien Tchouameni and Dayot Upamecano skipped both training sessions for France.
Les Bleus are attempting to win back-to-back World Cups, a feat last accomplished by Brazil 60 years ago.
They survived a massive challenge in the final eight, beating England 2-1, with Tchouameni scoring a superb opening. Upamecano, on the other hand, was less prominent and was lucky not to give up a penalty in the first half.
Both are now waiting to learn whether they can play in the semi-finals against surprise package Morocco, while neither player’s absence is considered catastrophic.
Tchouameni has a calf injury from the game against England, while Upamecano has a slight sickness.
Meanwhile, manager Didier Deschamps said he would not let his players take anything for granted against Morocco. Algeria has defeated Spain and Portugal to reach this far, and Deschamps does not want France to join that list of World Cup shocks.
“Few people anticipated seeing Morocco in the semi-final, but they shocked everyone and deserved to be there,” remarked the manager. “We greatly respect our opponents, who have earned this far.” Nobody can deprive them of it.
“Morocco will be adamant about defeating.” What they have accomplished is remarkable. They have faced and defeated some of the world’s top teams. It is a historic accomplishment.”
