​Kylian Mbappé spread his arms wide and whirled around in celebration after netting his eighth goal of this World Cup year. Later, he acknowledged the jubilant France fans scattered around the stadium with a wave as he left the field following an injury scare. The French side, led by a star forward who insisted he was fine despite a right ankle issue, are headed back to the semifinals for the third consecutive World Cup tournament. Mbappé contributed a goal and an assist after a first-half penalty miss, with Ousmane Dembélé also finding the net as France defeated Morocco 2-0 in the quarterfinals on Thursday.
“There’s only one way to relax, and that’s by winning. Until we’ve done that, we don’t let up,” Mbappé said. “We’re in the semifinals and we’re very happy, but there’s still a long way to go.” Mbappé’s strike in the 60th minute was the 20th goal of his World Cup career, achieved in his 20th appearance at the tournament, moving him one behind Lionel Messi, the Argentina captain. Dembélé added his fifth goal of the tournament in the 66th minute.
Mbappé went down in the 76th minute after taking a heavy touch from a Moroccan defender and was substituted 60 seconds later. He spent time on the bench with an ice pack on his right ankle. After the match, with both shoes on, Mbappé sprinted and leaped in celebration with his teammates. “I took a knock to the ankle, but I’m fine,” he said. “At that point, JP (Jean-Philippe Mateta) was in better shape than I was to play the final minutes.”
France will face either Spain or Belgium in the semifinals in Dallas on Tuesday. The reigning champions previously beat Morocco by the same scoreline in their 2022 semifinal meeting in Qatar, a run that helped the Atlas Lions become the first African team to reach that stage. France now remains on course to become only the third nation to appear in the final of three consecutive World Cups.
“It is a confirmation of how we’ve played so far,” France coach Didier Deschamps said, noting there is a reason for his team’s recent World Cup success. “Having great players. Excellent players. My credit goes to the players. But maybe I do my job well. The only truth is the one on the pitch.”
Mbappé’s goal came from a precise strike just inside the far post after Morocco failed to clear. He received the ball just outside the area, stepped forward a couple of paces, and fired his shot into the net. He celebrated by extending his arms and sprinting to the sideline to hug teammates. The second goal came when Mbappé collected a pass, nudged it back to Dembélé, and kept sprinting forward, drawing defenders toward him and freeing space for Dembélé’s finish. Dembélé, who has been prolific throughout the tournament, acknowledged Mbappé’s resilience after the first-half penalty miss, noting that Mbappé’s leadership and readiness to step up when needed are emblematic of the team’s character.