France strengthened their status as one of the leading contenders for the FIFA World Cup title after securing a convincing 2-0 victory over Morocco in the quarter finals. Didier Deschamps’ men produced another composed performance to extend their winning streak in the tournament and book a place in the last four.
Kylian Mbappe was once again at the centre of the action. The French captain earned a first half penalty after being brought down inside the area by Morocco defender Noussair Mazraoui. However, goalkeeper Yassine Bounou guessed correctly and comfortably denied Mbappe’s effort from the spot, giving Morocco hope of causing an upset.
The breakthrough eventually arrived in the 60th minute when Mbappe made amends in spectacular fashion. Cutting inside from the edge of the box, the Real Madrid forward curled a brilliant finish beyond Bounou to register his eighth goal of the tournament. Just six minutes later, Ousmane Dembele added a second after driving towards goal and beating the Moroccan keeper despite getting a touch on the shot.
Mbappe’s latest strike sees him draw level with Lionel Messi on eight goals in this World Cup. The French star currently leads the Golden Boot standings thanks to his superior assist tally. He has also reached 20 career World Cup goals, leaving him only one behind Messi’s all time tournament record of 21.
France controlled the match from start to finish, limiting Morocco to just one effort on target and five attempts overall. Before the goals arrived, Bounou produced several important saves, including stopping chances from Mbappe, Dayot Upamecano and Desire Doue, while Lucas Digne struck the crossbar with a powerful effort.
The only concern for France came when Mbappe left the field in the 77th minute and was later seen with ice wrapped around his right ankle. Any fears were quickly eased after the final whistle as he celebrated enthusiastically with his teammates.
Having scored 16 goals across six matches, France remain the highest scoring side in the competition. They will now face either Spain or Belgium in the semi finals in Dallas, continuing their pursuit of a third World Cup crown after lifting the trophy in 1998 and 2018.
