Kylian Mbappé bounced back from an early missed penalty to score once and set up another goal as France defeated Morocco national football team 2-0 on Thursday to book a place in the FIFA World Cup semifinals.
Mbappé found the net in the 60th minute before providing an assist for Ousmane Dembélé six minutes later, helping France secure a convincing victory.
The goal was Mbappé’s 20th in World Cup competition, achieved in his 20th tournament appearance, leaving him one goal behind Argentine captain Lionel Messi on the all-time World Cup scoring list.
France will now face the winner of the Spain-Belgium quarterfinal in Tuesday’s semifinal in Dallas.
The result also keeps France on course to become only the third nation to reach three consecutive FIFA World Cup finals.
Mbappé opened the scoring after Morocco failed to clear the ball from its penalty area. Collecting possession just outside the box, he took a few strides before curling a precise finish inside the far post and celebrating with teammates on the sideline.
France doubled its advantage in the 66th minute when Mbappé created space with a forward run before laying the ball off for Dembélé, who calmly finished for his fifth goal of the tournament.
Late in the match, Mbappé appeared to suffer an ankle knock after being brought down in the 76th minute. He was substituted moments later and was seen on the bench with an ice pack on his right ankle.
However, concerns eased after the final whistle when the French star celebrated energetically with teammates while wearing both boots.
France dominated throughout the contest, outshooting Morocco 21-4 overall and holding an 8-1 advantage in shots on target.
“We are very disappointed. We wanted to go on,” Morocco head coach Mohamed Ouahbi said after the match.
“When we had ball possession, our transitions were not great and we had to run a little more. Their players were in their comfort zone.”
Mbappé nearly opened the scoring in the fourth minute, narrowly missing the target before earning a penalty midway through the first half after being fouled by Moroccan defender Noussair Mazraoui inside the box.
Following a lengthy video review, referee Facundo Tello confirmed the penalty, but Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou guessed correctly to save Mbappé’s effort.
Despite the missed opportunity, France remained firmly in control, finishing the first half with a commanding 13-1 edge in total shots.
Morocco’s best chance came just before halftime when captain Achraf Hakimi narrowly missed from a free kick.
France’s victory also echoed its 2-0 semifinal win over Morocco at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where the Atlas Lions became the first African nation to reach the tournament’s final four.
