France booked their place in the World Cup semi-finals with a 2-0 victory over Morocco on Thursday, as captain Kylian Mbappe overcame a missed penalty to play a decisive role in another dominant display by the two-time world champions.
Mbappe saw a first-half penalty saved by Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou but responded in style after the break, curling a superb effort into the net on the hour mark to break the deadlock. The goal was his 20th at a World Cup and made him the joint-leading scorer at the tournament with eight goals.
The France captain, who at 27 became the youngest player to reach 20 World Cup appearances, also equalled Hugo Lloris' national record for World Cup matches.
France doubled their lead just six minutes after Mbappe's opener when Ousmane Dembele fired a low shot beyond Bounou. The goal, Dembele's fifth of the tournament, effectively ended Morocco's hopes of reaching a second consecutive World Cup semi-final.
Coach Didier Deschamps praised his side's progress after France reached the last four for the third World Cup in a row.
“We're exactly where we wanted to be,” Deschamps said. “We're taking another step forward today, finding ourselves in the final four once again.”
France had looked the more dangerous side throughout. Mbappe threatened early with a low drive that Bounou tipped wide before seeing his penalty saved in the 28th minute. Lucas Digne also struck the crossbar shortly before half-time as Morocco struggled to create meaningful opportunities.
The North Africans, missing injured forward Ismael Saibari, failed to register a shot on target until the 84th minute and found it difficult to break down a French defence that has now kept clean sheets in all three knockout matches.
France will now face either Belgium or Spain in the semi-finals as they continue their pursuit of a third successive World Cup final appearance.
“A mission? I don't know, but we can't afford to let up,” Mbappe said. “There's still a long way to go, and what lies ahead is even tougher.”
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