By Basit Jamiu
Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi will face his friend, Kylian Mbappe tonight in a clash that is tipped to be another thrilling encounter.
Mbappe and Hakimi are not just clubmates but friends for a very long time. They both graduated from Real Madrid’s junior academy where they first met and established their friendship.
Achraf Hakimi’s team has pulled a stunning underdog story in this world cup.
So far, they have beaten Spain, Portugal and Belgium. They would now face their toughest opponent, France.
Kylian Mbappe’s France, the defending champion, have shown great dedication and determination to win the prestigious cup again. So far, they have not lost any matches.
Hakimi made a tweet yesterday indicating that he is ready to meet his friend at the semi final: “See you soon my friend,” he said.
Mbappe, on the other hand, has been impressed by his friend’s feat in the world cup. He had made several tweets, before every match, wishing his friend “goodluck”.
Now, he will face his friend with the hope that luck is on his side.
Whoever emerges victorious tonight would have to face Lionel Messi in the final on Sunday. Messi is currently the two friends clubmate.
It is obvious that one of the pairs would have to make it out and the other would be marching to the third place battle.
Either way, Mbappe is already a world cup champion. The biggest challenge of his career appears to be the champions league.
Achraf Hakimi’s side has made history as the first African team to qualify for the semi final. A win today would take him to the final, a historic one it would be.
A loss today will also take him to third place stage which is also historic for an African team.