France have secured a place in the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup after defeating Morocco 2-0 in Thursday’s quarter-final encounter.
Captain Kylian Mbappe was the standout performer, bouncing back from an early penalty miss to score a stunning opening goal before providing the assist for Ousmane Dembele to seal the victory.
Mbappe’s first-half penalty was comfortably saved by Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, but the Real Madrid forward responded in style just after the hour mark with a superb curling strike that gave France the lead.
The goal was Mbappe’s eighth of the tournament, drawing him level with Lionel Messi in the race for the World Cup Golden Boot.
Dembele doubled France’s advantage six minutes later after being set up by Mbappe, calmly finishing past Bounou to put the result beyond doubt.
The victory sends Les Bleus into the last four, where they will face either Spain or Belgium in Dallas next Tuesday.
France, champions in 2018 and runners-up in 2022, are now aiming to reach a third consecutive World Cup final in what will be head coach Didier Deschamps’ final tournament in charge.
Despite enjoying strong support in the stands, Morocco struggled to create clear scoring opportunities, particularly in the absence of injured forward Ismael Saibari, while France maintained another impressive defensive display.
Mbappe continued his remarkable World Cup record, taking his tally to 20 goals in 20 World Cup appearances, leaving him just one goal behind Lionel Messi’s all-time tournament record of 21 goals.
Morocco, however, leave the competition with plenty of optimism, boasting a talented young squad expected to play a significant role when they co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal.
France will now turn their attention to the semi-finals as they continue their pursuit of another World Cup title.
