World Cup 2022: Hakimi’s Message to Mbappe Ahead of France v Morocco

• Achraf Hakimi has sent Kylian Mbapope a message ahead of a nail-biting 2022 World Cup between Morocco and France
• Hakimi and Mbaooe are club teammates at PSG in France and will come face-to-face with a place in the final at stake
• Morocco stunned Portugal while France edged England to reach the semis
• The Atlas Lions made history as the first African nation to reach the semi-final of the tournament

Morocco star Achraf Hakimi has sent a message to his PSG teammate Kylian Mbappe ahead of France vs Morocco semi-final showdown.

Morocco continues to defy the odds after they defeated Portugal, another heavyweight in the tournament to make history as the first African nation to reach the semis.

Meanwhile, France narrowly beat England to keep their dream of retaining their title alive.

Hakimi and Morocco produced another solid display against Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal, keeping another clean sheet. Youssef En-Nesyri scored the goal for the north Africans just before half-time.

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The Atlas Lions' defensive masterclass kept Portugal's stars at bay for most of the match, Reuters notes. This comes after they stunned other European heavyweights Belgium and Spain in the competition.

Meanwhile, France were on the ropes for most of the match against England but clinched a narrow 2-1 win late in the match. Harry Kane inexplicably missed a penalty which would've set up a dramatic finale.

Hakimi sends message to Mbappe

France superstar Mbappe was kept quiet by England for most of the match but he contributed to their opening goal scored by Real Madrid's Aurelien Tchouameni, the Athletic reports.

However, this was arguably Mbappe's most underwhelming performance at the tournament. Interestingly, Mbappe and Hakimi will come face to face in the semi-final.

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The Moroccan defender has been exceptional for his country so far and scored a panenka against Spain to send them to the quarters.

After France's win over the Three Lions was confirmed, Hakimi took to Twitter to send his club teammate a message.

"See you soon my friend."

Mbappe will be a tough test for Hakimi and his country and it sets up an intriguing battle. If Hakimi can keep him quiet, Morocco have a good chance against the reigning world champions.

Hakimi's father on sacrifices made

Sports Brief earlier reported on Hakimi's father narrating how he made untold sacrifices for his son in the past.

Hassan Hakimi will tell you, the rise to stardom wasn't easy. Hakimi Senior has come out to express his joy and gratitude for how his son's career has turned out after a difficult childhood.

Hassan has explained how he used to wait for his son after taking him to the training sessions at Real Madrid.

Hakimi was never fully appreciated at Real Madrid and was sent out on loan before being sold to Inter Milan, before settling at PSG.