World Cup: Morocco pull Nayef Aguerd from starting XI moments before semi-final kick-off
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Morocco remove West Ham’s Nayef Aguerd from their starting XI for the semi-final against France BEFORE the anthems due to a suspected injury… substituting a player before the anthems for the second time at this World Cup
Morocco made a late change to their starting line-up for their World Cup semi-final match against France, replacing Nayef Aguard with defender Achraf Dari.
According to the BBCthe West Ham defender ‘was a doubt’ ahead of the game and could have been injured in the warm-up.
Aguerd had been withdrawn during Morocco’s round of 16 win against Spain last week and missed their epic quarter-final win against Portugal, but received an injury boost earlier this week, recovering to be eligible for the squad. against France.
Morocco made a late change by removing Nayef Aguerd (pictured) from the starting XI against France
Aguerd (pictured) was substituted in Morocco’s round of 16 game against Spain 1-0 due to injury
He was included in the starting line-up, but Morocco had to withdraw him before the anthems, and reports suggested that he had suffered an injury before the match.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, former England striker Chris Sutton said: ‘Losing Aguerd is a huge blow for Morocco.
“They can’t worry and think about it too much right now, but he’s one of their first-choice defenders. we think [Romain] Saiss could be the one to miss out.
He was a fundamental figure during that match, in particular, calming down Spanish striker Álvaro Morata.
Danny Murphy, who was on pundit duty for the BBC, echoed his comments: “It’s a very late turnaround, isn’t it? Obviously they’ve given him every opportunity to play, it’s a blow to them because he’s been fantastic. “.
It is not the first time during the tournament that Walid Regragui has been forced to make a last-minute change before the anthems, with goalkeeper Yassine Bounou disappearing under mysterious circumstances just before kick-off against Spain.
The centre-back has struggled with injuries this season before undergoing ankle surgery.
Despite being included in the starting line-up, he was later replaced by his second goalkeeper, Munir Mohamedi, who kept a clean sheet during their surprise round of 16 match against Spain.
Meanwhile, West Ham fans will be concerned about the fitness of Aguerd, who arrived from Rennes last summer but had to wait for his first Premier League debut after an ankle injury suffered in the preseason forced him to operate.