France 2-0 Morocco: Mbappé shines as Les Bleus reach World Cup semi-finals
Kylian Mbappé overcame a rare moment of fallibility to spearhead France into a third consecutive World Cup semi-final as Didier Deschamps’ side ultimately broke Morocco’s heroic resistance at a sun-baked Boston Stadium.
The France captain saw a first-half penalty saved by the inspired Yassine Bounou, but returned with devastating intent after the interval. Mbappé broke the deadlock on the hour mark with a magnificent, curling effort before turning provider just six minutes later, teeing up Ousmane Dembélé to slide home a crucial second and safely secure a last-four berth against either Spain or Belgium.
For long periods, it threatened to be a story of frustration for the tournament favourites. France asserted their dominance from the first whistle, suffocating Morocco’s back line and winning a penalty after 25 minutes when Noussair Mazraoui upended Mbappé in the box. Following a lengthy VAR delay that tested the forward’s patience, Bounou guessed correctly, diving low to his right to spectacularly deny the French talisman. It was the first penalty Mbappé had ever missed on the global stage, ensuring Walid Regragui’s structured Atlas Lions entered the break level.
Morocco, roaring on by a passionate crowd in Foxborough, defended like heroes but were simply unable to withstand the relentless waves of French quality in the second half. The breakthrough arrived with pure individual brilliance; Mbappé picked up the ball on the edge of the area and whipped a sensational shot past the diving stretch of Bounou. It marked his eighth goal of the finals and his 20th career World Cup goal, drawing him level with Lionel Messi.
The knockout blow arrived moments later. Mbappé darted through a sea of red shirts before slipping a perfectly weighted pass to Dembélé, who kept his composure to fire a precise finish into the bottom corner.
There was a late moment of concern for Les Bleus when Mbappé was substituted in the 77th minute, limping to the bench to apply an ice pack to his right ankle. Morocco fought valiantly until the final whistle to carve out late opportunities, but France comfortably managed the closing stages to keep their dreams of a third world title firmly alive.
