France beats Morocco 2-0 to reach third straight World Cup semifinal, Mbappé scores and reassures after ankle scare
Kylian Mbappé scored his eighth goal of the tournament and Ousmane Dembélé added a second as France defeated Morocco 2-0 in the quarterfinals, booking a spot in the last four for the third consecutive World Cup.
Match recap
France dominated from the start, pinning Morocco back and creating a flurry of chances. Yassine Bounou saved an early Mbappé effort and a header from Dayot Upamecano, then denied Mbappé from the penalty spot in the 28th minute after Noussair Mazraoui fouled the forward. A French shot struck the crossbar in first-half stoppage time, keeping the score level at the break.
The breakthrough came on the hour mark. Mbappé danced past a defender on the edge of the box and curled a shot into the far corner, leaving Bounou with no chance. Six minutes later, Dembélé drove forward and fired a precise finish to make it 2-0. Morocco managed only one shot on target all match, after the result was already settled.
- Mbappé shot from outside the box saved by Bounou.
- Mbappé fouled by Mazraoui, penalty awarded.
- Mbappé penalty saved by Bounou.
- French shot hits the crossbar.
- Mbappé scores with a curling effort to make it 1-0.
- Dembélé doubles the lead with a powerful finish.
- Mbappé substituted after ankle knock.
Mbappé's ankle concern
Mbappé was substituted in the 77th minute after taking a knock to his ankle in the 64th minute from a challenge by Diop. He sat on the bench with ice on a swollen ankle, but later dismissed fears of a serious injury.
I'm fine. I took a knock on the ankle, but it's nothing serious. At that moment Jean-Philippe (Mateta) was in better shape than me to play the last 15 minutes. I came off, he came on. It was a good choice and he almost scored.
Coach Didier Deschamps also addressed the squad's fitness, noting that Manu Koné had a knee knock and cramps, while Warren Zaïre-Emery returned in very good condition.
All players must feel ready, and those not playing train normally with the rest of the team. We have reached a very important stage of the tournament, as we are now in the semifinals.
What's next
France has won all six of its matches at the tournament and will face the winner of Spain versus Belgium, scheduled for July 10. Mbappé's goal took him to eight for the competition, level with Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot. He now has 20 career World Cup goals, one behind Messi's all-time record of 21.
