'I said to him, just STOP!' - Giroud's work rate for France annoyed Morocco in World Cup semi-final, says Amrabat

Morocco star Sofyan Amrabat says he told France striker Olivier Giroud to stop following him around during the teams' World Cup semi-final clash.

Giroud tasked with tracking Amrabat
Morocco star asked him to "stop"
France won semi-final 2-0

WHAT HAPPENED? France had pinpointed Amrabat as one of Morocco's main threats from midfield and sent AC Milan striker Giroud to neutralise him. Amrabat revealed after the game that he pleaded with Giroud to leave him be in an acknowledgement of the forward's work rate.

WHAT THEY SAID: "Their striker, Olivier Giroud, followed me everywhere all over the field. I said to him, just stop! He replied that he was instructed to follow me for the whole game," he said to NOS.

"We feel very bitter that we couldn’t do more. France let us have the initiative from the start, so I guess that’s a compliment really. Unfortunately, it was tough after stupidly conceding such an early goal and we had to play into their hands, with the pace they have upfront."

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Morocco's historic World Cup campaign came to an end in the final four tie against Les Bleus. The first African side to reach the semi-finals were eliminated as France won 2-0 through goals from Theo Hernandez and Randal Kolo Muani.

IN THREE PHOTOS:

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WHAT NEXT FOR MOROCCO? Amrabat and his team-mates will look to secure third place at the World Cup when they take on Croatia on Saturday.