France’s Kylian Mbappe celebrates scoring their first aim on July 9, 2026. — Reuters
Foxborough: France captain Kylian Mbappe missed a penalty however curled in an excellent aim on the hour as France struck twice in six minutes to brush apart Morocco 2-0 on Thursday and e book their spot within the World Cup semi-finals.
Mbappe, who at 27 turned the youngest participant to rack up 20 World Cup appearances, additionally bagged his twentieth World Cup aim with a curling shot from simply contained in the field earlier than Ousmane Dembele added one other six minutes later with a low drive to arrange a last-four assembly with Belgium or Spain.
Mbappe is the match’s joint high scorer with eight objectives, degree with Lionel Messi, and he trails the Argentine by one aim within the World Cup all-time scoring listing.
“That’s three (semi-finals) in a row — it’s good,” France coach Didier Deschamps mentioned. “It seems logical and natural, but you still have to get the job done. It was tricky, the penalty… when it’s Kylian. He never has any doubts.
“However we’re precisely the place we wished to be,” said Deschamps, who substituted Mbappe late in the game after a knock to his ankle. “We’re taking one other step ahead as we speak, discovering ourselves within the remaining 4 as soon as once more. It exhibits we’re proper there within the combine.”
In a repeat of the 2022 World Cup semi-final, France, who have now kept clean sheets in all three knockout matches, looked the hungrier throughout with Morocco, aiming for a second straight last-four spot, badly missing injured forward Ismael Saibari, and failing to get a shot on target until the 84th minute.
“We’re very disillusioned, we wished to advance,” said Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi. “Now we have to recognise that France is a superb crew with wonderful gamers. France had the higher scoring alternatives. We lacked concepts and freshness, and we now have to just accept this defeat.
“Today France were stronger but we are able to compete and progress and maybe eliminate them in four years’ time,” Ouahbi mentioned. Morocco are co-hosting the 2030 World Cup with Spain and Portugal.
Mbappe equals Lloris document
The French, bidding to turn out to be solely the third nation to achieve three consecutive World Cup finals, began strongly with a few early probabilities.
Mbappe, who additionally equalled the all-time French document held by Hugo Lloris for World Cup matches, had an early alternative with a low drive that Morocco keeper Yassine Bounou managed to tip vast.
France earned a Twenty eighth-minute penalty by Mbappe however Bounou calmly stood his floor, picked the proper facet and smothered the France ahead’s low effort. It was Mbappe’s first penalty miss for the nationwide crew since Euro 2020.
The title favourites additionally hit the crossbar in first-half stoppage time by Lucas Digne’s highly effective long-distance drive, as defensive-minded Morocco struggled to achieve their opponents’ field and didn’t have an effort on or off track in your entire first half, with Brahim Diaz because the lone striker.
Mbappe made amends for his miss on the hour mark with a fast search for and excellent end, and earlier than Morocco had time to get well the twice world champions struck once more by Dembele.
The ahead, who types a formidable frontline with Mbappe and Michael Olise, made use of the house opened up by Mbappe’s run to rifle within the second aim and his fifth of the match.
“A mission? I don’t know but we can’t afford to let up,” Mbappe mentioned. “There’s still a long way to go, and what lies ahead is even tougher, but we’ll recover well.”
