Kylian Mbappe bounced back from an early penalty miss to inspire France to a 2-0 win over Morocco in their FIFA World Cup quarter-final on Thursday.
The France captain had a first-half penalty comfortably saved by Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, but made amends after the break with a stunning curling strike that gave his side the lead in the 60th minute.
The goal was Mbappe’s eighth of the tournament, drawing him level with Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot. He was substituted late in the game with an ice pack on his right ankle.
Before coming off, Mbappe also played a key role in France’s second goal. He set up Ousmane Dembele, who calmly finished to seal the victory in front of 63,811 fans at Gillette Stadium.
France had also beaten Morocco 2-0 in the 2022 World Cup semi-finals, and this latest win sends Les Bleus into another semi-final. They will now face either Spain or Belgium in Dallas next Tuesday.
France are aiming to reach a third straight World Cup final in what will be Didier Deschamps’ last tournament as head coach. Champions in 2018 and runners-up in 2022, they once again looked comfortable in the knockout stage.
Morocco, missing injured forward Ismael Saibari, struggled to trouble the French defence despite enjoying strong support from the crowd.
Mbappe has once again shown why he is regarded as one of the best forwards in world football. After scoring twice against Senegal and Iraq in the group stage, another brace against Sweden in the Round of 32, and the winner against Paraguay in the previous round, he has now taken his tally to 20 goals in 20 World Cup appearances. He is just one goal behind Lionel Messi’s all-time World Cup record of 21.
Morocco had their moments but lacked the cutting edge in attack, while France kept a third consecutive clean sheet in the knockout rounds.
France won a penalty in the 25th minute after Mbappe was brought down by Noussair Mazraoui inside the box during a quick counter-attack. Although the decision was briefly checked for a possible foul on Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi earlier in the move, the penalty stood.
Mbappe’s spot-kick lacked power and was saved by Bounou, who also denied Desire Doue and watched Lucas Digne hit the top of the crossbar as Morocco held firm before half-time.
France finally broke the deadlock 15 minutes into the second half when Doue found Mbappe outside the box. The Real Madrid forward took a touch before curling a brilliant shot past Bounou using defender Issa Diop as a screen.
The goal was Mbappe’s 64th for France in 104 international appearances.
Six minutes later, Mbappe turned provider. His pass released Dembele, who curled a low shot into the corner to double France’s lead. Bounou got a hand to the effort but could not keep it out.
Dembele, the reigning Ballon d’Or winner, now has five goals at this World Cup. But once again, it was Mbappe who stole the spotlight with another match-winning performance.
