France defeated Morocco 2-0 on Thursday to book their place in the FIFA World Cup semi-finals. Kylian Mbappe starred despite missing an early penalty. Consequently, Les Bleus advanced to the last four for the third straight tournament.
Mbappe Shines After Penalty Miss
Mbappe saw his first-half penalty comfortably saved by Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou. However, the France captain responded with a superb curling strike in the 60th minute. The goal was his eighth of the tournament.
As a result, Mbappe drew level with Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race. Later, he provided the assist for Ousmane Dembele, who sealed victory with France’s second goal. Mbappe left the field late with an ice pack on his right ankle.
The quarter-final attracted 63,811 fans at Gillette Stadium. France also eliminated Morocco from the World Cup for the second consecutive tournament after their 2022 semi-final victory.
France Eyes Another World Cup Final
France will now face either Spain or Belgium in Tuesday’s semi-final in Dallas. The former champions are chasing a third consecutive World Cup final under coach Didier Deschamps.
Earlier, Mbappe won the penalty after Noussair Mazraoui fouled him inside the area. Although the spot-kick was saved, France continued creating chances. Bounou denied Desire Doue before Lucas Digne struck the crossbar.
After the break, Doue set up Mbappe, who produced a brilliant finish from outside the penalty area. Minutes later, Mbappe released Dembele, who calmly found the bottom corner despite Bounou getting a hand to the shot.
Morocco enjoyed strong crowd support but struggled without injured forward Ismael Saibari. France, meanwhile, recorded a third straight clean sheet in the knockout stage. Mbappe now has 20 goals in 20 World Cup appearances, leaving him one behind Messi’s tournament record.
