France defender Raphael Varane has warned his side about being complacent ahead of their World Cup semi-final against Morocco.
Les Bleus are in the final four after beating England 2-1 in the quarter-finals on Saturday night. Next up they face Morocco, who have surprised everyone in Qatar by becoming the first African team to reach the semi-finals of a World Cup.
Morocco are the underdogs against reigning champions France but Varane has insisted he and his team-mates will not be complacent.
“We have a lot of experience in this team to not fall into the trap of thinking we are favourites,” said the Manchester United defender.
“If Morocco are through to the semi-finals, it is not luck. It is going to be a very difficult game. We are going to have to fight really hard.
“It is not going to be easy. It is the semi-final of a World Cup, you have to earn a place in the final.”
Morocco have exceeded expectations in Qatar, primarily because they have been so defensively solid. The Atlas Lions have conceded just one goal so far and boast the best defence at the tournament.
“I think it is a very solid team, very difficult to manoeuvre,” Varane added. “They have really built a solid unit.
“They are writing history for Moroccan football. They are showing great team spirit. They are supporting each other.
“They have strong weapons with their counter-attacks and free-kicks. We are expecting a very difficult match. They are not here by luck.”
Before the tournament, the French Football Federation set the team a target of at least reaching the semi-finals. Varane admits the squad are happy to have achieved that goal but are not satisfied by it as they bid to retain their crown as world champions.
“I think we have played really well so far,” he said. “The objective for all the teams is to win. We know how difficult it is, but it has always been the objective for every competition.
“We are happy to be in the semi-final, it wasn’t easy, and to be in the final four is great, but obviously the true objective is to win. We are competitors, we need to win.”
