​France moved into the semi-finals with a 2-0 victory over Morocco, as Kylian Mbappe added another goal to his World Cup tally, compensating for an earlier missed penalty and ensuring that his side proved too strong for their African counterparts. Mbappe earned the first-half penalty after being fouled by Manchester United’s Noussair Mazraoui, but his poorly struck spot-kick was comfortably saved by Yassine Bounou.
Mbappe redeemed himself in the 60th minute with a superb curling strike from just inside the penalty area, giving France a deserved lead. Six minutes later, Ousmane Dembele, who has won the Ballon d’Or, doubled the advantage by driving forward at the Morocco defense and firing a low shot past Bounou, who got a touch to the ball but could not keep it out. Mbappe’s goal takes him level with Lionel Messi in the tournament’s scoring charts, though the Frenchman now leads the race for the Golden Boot because he has registered more assists than his former Paris Saint-Germain teammate. The two players are also in a high-profile contest to become the all-time World Cup top scorer, with Mbappe on 20 goals and Messi on 21 from 39 appearances at 27 years old.
Two-time champions France, who were eliminated by Argentina on penalties in the 2022 World Cup final, will face either Spain or Belgium in the semi-final in Dallas on Tuesday (20:00 BST). France have been tipped by many to lift the trophy again, having previously won the World Cup in 1998 and 2018, and many expect Didier Deschamps’ side to go deep in the tournament. Before this quarter-final, former England striker Ian Wright described France as “one of the most clear favourites for a World Cup tournament I have ever seen.”
Morocco, ranked seventh in the world, were cautious from the outset and managed only a single shot on target — in the 83rd minute after they were already 2-0 down — and had a total of five attempts, four of which were off target. France signaled their intent from the start, with Mbappe’s 25-yard effort pushed wide and Dayot Upamecano’s header from the ensuing corner saved by Bounou. Dembele and Adrien Rabiot also squandered opportunities before Mbappe’s penalty, which had to wait more than three minutes for a VAR check to confirm there was no foul in the buildup. Mbappe then proceeded to stroll his run-up, but his low effort to the right corner was saved with ease by Bounou.
France remained in control for the remainder, with Desire Doue also testing Bounou with a strike and Lucas Digne forcing a long-range shot against the crossbar, narrowly missing a touch from the Moroccan keeper. The match looked set to stay in France’s favor, and two quick goals sealed the win. The only concern for the French camp came when Mbappe left the field with ice on his right ankle after being substituted, replaced by Cryst. The result leaves Didier Deschamps’ side on course to defend their title, as they chase a third World Cup triumph in Dallas.