Mbappé and Dembélé fire France into World Cup semifinals.
FOXBOROUGH, Massachusetts: Kylian Mbappé bounced back from a first-half penalty miss to score once and set up another goal as France defeated Morocco 2-0 on Thursday to book their place in the FIFA World Cup semifinals.
Ousmane Dembélé also found the net, while Mbappé struck in the 60th minute to register his 20th World Cup goal in just his 20th tournament appearance. The milestone moved the France captain within one goal of Argentina skipper Lionel Messi’s World Cup tally.
Dembélé added his fifth goal of the tournament in the 66th minute to seal France’s victory. Mbappé was brought down in the 76th minute and was substituted a minute later after appearing to pick up a knock.
Mbappé was later seen on the bench with an ice pack strapped to his right ankle after being substituted. However, the France captain appeared to have avoided a serious issue, as he returned to the celebrations after the final whistle, running and jumping alongside his teammates with both boots back on.
France defeated Morocco by the same 2-0 scoreline in the semifinals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, when the Atlas Lions made history by becoming the first African nation to reach the last four of the tournament.
With this victory, France remain on course to become only the third team in World Cup history to feature in three consecutive finals.
Mbappé doubled France’s lead with a superbly placed effort into the far corner after Morocco failed to clear their lines. Receiving the ball just outside the penalty area, the France forward took a few touches before curling his shot into the net, then raced toward the sideline with arms outstretched to celebrate with his teammates.
France’s second goal came after Mbappé collected a pass and cleverly laid the ball back for Ousmane Dembélé. Continuing his run forward, Mbappé dragged defenders away and created space, allowing Dembélé to finish the move with a composed strike.
France dominated the contest, finishing with a 21-4 advantage in total shots and an 8-1 edge in shots on target.
“We are very disappointed. We wanted to go on,” Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi said. “When we had possession, our transitions were not great and we had to work harder. Their players were in their comfort zone.”
Mbappé created France’s first real threat of the match, firing just wide of the right post in the fourth minute. Later, in the 25th minute, he broke down the left flank before being brought down inside the box by Morocco defender Noussair Mazraoui. Referee Facundo Tello immediately awarded France a penalty.
Mbappé stood over the penalty spot as a lengthy VAR review delayed the attempt. He was eventually given the green light to take the kick in the 28th minute, but after a brief pause, his effort toward the right corner was comfortably saved by goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, who had anticipated the direction correctly.
Mbappé’s previous penalty attempt at this year’s World Cup came in France’s 1-0 win over Paraguay in the round of 16.
Despite the missed opportunity, France remained the more dangerous side in attack during the opening half, registering a 13-1 advantage in shots. Morocco’s best chance before the break arrived moments before halftime, when Achraf Hakimi curled a free kick from just outside the box narrowly wide of the right post.
