Kylian Mbappé recovered from a first-half penalty miss to open the scoring and set France on course for the World Cup semifinals in a 2-0 victory over Morocco. Mbappé’s 60th-minute curling finish beat goalkeeper Yassine Bounou after Bounou had earlier denied the France forward from the spot, according to Mark Ogden.
Six minutes after Mbappé’s strike, Ousmane Dembélé made it 2-0 for Les Bleus, completing the second goal that ended Morocco’s resistance. Mbappé also assisted on the second goal, giving him 101 goal contributions for France after reaching the 100 mark with his match-winner, Mark Ogden reported.
The result keeps France on the favored side of the bracket; Didier Deschamps’s team will meet the winner of Friday’s quarterfinal between Belgium and Spain in the semifinals on Tuesday in Dallas, Ogden wrote. France beat Morocco in the semifinals at the 2022 World Cup and again overcame their toughest and highest-ranked opponent so far in this tournament.
Julien Laurens highlighted the potency of France’s forward group, noting the combination of Mbappé, Dembélé and Michael Olise, supported by Désiré Doué and Bradley Barcola. The five have contributed 23 goal involvements in this tournament, Laurens wrote, three more than the attacking trio who powered Brazil in 2002. Laurens also emphasized Mbappé’s ongoing record run: eight goals in this World Cup, matching his total from 2022 and making him the first player to score eight in two World Cups, with 20 goals in 20 World Cup matches overall.
Morocco, who were semifinalists in 2022, were again halted by France. Bounou produced several strong saves in the match, and while Mohamed Ouahbi’s side tried different tactical approaches across the two halves, they could not find a way through. Laurens noted Morocco’s young core — including 18-year-old midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi — and suggested most of the squad will remain in place as the nation prepares to co-host the 2030 World Cup with Spain and Portugal.
