​France coach Didier Deschamps paid tribute to forward Kylian Mbappé after he struck his eighth goal of the World Cup to guide Les Bleus into the semi-finals with a 2-0 win over Morocco on Thursday. Mbappé opened the scoring on the hour mark at Gillette Stadium near Boston, having earlier seen a penalty saved. Ousmane Dembélé then sealed the victory as France booked a spot in the World Cup semi-finals for the third consecutive tournament.
“When it’s Kylian, there’s no problem — he never doubts himself, even though he had another chance before scoring,” Deschamps said on French broadcaster M6 after Mbappé netted his 20th World Cup goal in 20 appearances at the tournament. Mbappé had burst onto the global stage by starring for the team that won the 2018 World Cup in Russia and then led the scoring in the 2022 edition in Qatar with eight goals, including a hat-trick in the final. He still has two games remaining in this tournament to attempt to surpass that tally.
Deschamps confirmed that Mbappé was taken off late in the second half after taking a knock to the ankle, with the forward seen applying ice on the sidelines. “I am obviously really proud to be in a third straight semi-final,” Deschamps added in his post-match press conference. He noted that the players “never doubted themselves” despite failing to convert a number of chances in the first half, including the missed penalty. “It seems logical and natural, but you still have to achieve it,” he said of reaching another semi-final. “Obviously, I have great players, otherwise we wouldn’t get there, but it was difficult today because after the penalty miss, and with the chances we had, we did not convert.”
France will face either Spain or Belgium in Dallas for a place in the World Cup final. That semi-final is scheduled for next Tuesday, July 14, which is France’s national day. Les Bleus had defeated Belgium in the 2018 World Cup semi-finals and then lost to eventual champions Spain in the last four at Euro 2024. “Right now we are only in the semi-finals. We have another step to go and it will obviously be really difficult,” Deschamps said. “We have taken an important step today and we are now guaranteed two more games, but I think you know which ones I want to play.”
The final will be held at MetLife Stadium just outside New York City on July 19, while the losing semi-finalists will contest the third-place play-off in Miami the day before. “The only date we have in our diaries for now is the 14th, even if the 14th of July is a nice date for France,” Deschamps added.