Kylian Mbappe turned a frustrating night into another defining World Cup moment as France beat Morocco 2-0 to reach the semi-finals.
France are into the last four(Image: ANP via Getty Images)
The France captain had seen his first-half penalty saved by Yassine Bounou, a moment that briefly threatened to drag Didier Deschamps’ side into a tense and uncomfortable evening. But great players rarely stay quiet for long, and Mbappe responded after the break with the kind of ruthless finish that has made him the face of this French generation.
Morocco arrived in Foxborough hoping to avenge their semi-final defeat to France four years earlier, but the Atlas Lions never truly found the attacking spark required to trouble the former champions. The absence of key forward Ismael Saibari was a major blow, and whenever Morocco did manage to move into promising areas, France handled the danger with authority.
The first half was defined by tension rather than fluency. France had the better chances, but Morocco goalkeeper Bounou once again showed why he has such a remarkable reputation from the penalty spot at World Cups. After Mbappe was brought down by Noussair Mazraoui, the Real Madrid forward had to wait through a lengthy VAR check before finally taking the penalty. He went for familiar territory, but Bounou read it superbly and kept the game goalless.
Yassine Bounou denied Kylian Mbappe from the penalty spot(Image: Baptiste Fernandez/Icon Sport via Getty Images)
Bounou was not finished there. Before the interval, he produced another excellent stop to deny Desire Doue and later tipped a long-range Lucas Digne effort onto the crossbar. For a while, it looked as though Morocco might survive long enough to make France anxious.
But Mbappe changed everything in the second half. Picking up possession on the left side of the penalty area, he used Issa Diop as a screen before curling a brilliant strike beyond Bounou. It was his 20th goal in 20 World Cup appearances, a staggering record for a player still only 27 years old.
Once France were ahead, Morocco’s challenge faded quickly. Just six minutes later, Ousmane Dembele doubled the lead after being released into space through the middle. His low shot slipped through Bounou’s hands and into the net, killing the contest and sending French supporters into celebration.
Mbappe took a couple of heavy knocks late on, and Deschamps was not prepared to take any risks with his superstar. With the game under control, he withdrew his captain as a precaution, especially with a semi-final now looming.
For Morocco, it was a painful repeat of an old story. They competed with pride and discipline, but just as in Qatar, France had too much quality when the decisive moments arrived.
For Les Bleus, the message was clear. They did not need to be spectacular for the full 90 minutes. They simply needed Mbappe to find his moment, Dembele to punish another opening, and their defensive structure to do the rest.
France now move into the last four, where they will face either Spain or Belgium. With Mbappe level with Lionel Messi on eight goals at this tournament and France gathering momentum at exactly the right time, their dream of another World Cup final feels very real.
