FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Kylian Mbappé netted a remarkable goal after failing to convert a penalty in the first half, drawing level with Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot standings and leading France to the World Cup semifinals with a 2-0 victory over Morocco.
Mbappé opened the scoring in the 60th minute with a curling shot past Morocco’s goalkeeper, Yassine Bounou, after the latter had previously saved his penalty attempt. Morocco, which had successfully contained France for a significant portion of the match, faced a setback when Ousmane Dembélé added a second goal just six minutes later, securing the win for Les Bleus.
Following their win against Morocco in the Qatar 2022 semifinals, France reaffirmed its status as a leading contender in this World Cup by defeating one of the highest-ranked teams in the tournament. Didier Deschamps’s squad is now set to face the winner of Friday’s quarterfinal between Belgium and reigning European champions Spain in the semifinals on Tuesday in Dallas. — Mark Ogden
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Mbappé and France poised for further action
Bradley Barcola expressed it simply: “We play as if we were out with friends in our neighborhoods.”
This sentiment resonates with kids in cities like Paris, Marseille, Lyon, or Toulouse. France’s attacking prowess in this World Cup resembles street football: filled with flair, skill, and relentless movement until the dinner bell rings.
Mbappé, Dembélé, and Michael Olise, supported by Désiré Doué and Barcola, have been an unstoppable force. Collectively, they have contributed to 23 goals in the tournament, outpacing the famous Brazilian trio of Ronaldo, Rivaldo, and Ronaldinho in 2002, during which they secured victory.
At merely 27 years old, Mbappé is already the best player in the world. He made history by becoming the first Frenchman to achieve 100 goal contributions for the national team with his goal and now stands at 101 following his assist. He has scored eight goals in this tournament alone, matching his tally from 2022 and becoming the first player to net such a count in two World Cups. With 20 goals across 20 World Cup matches, he continues to shatter records.
Morocco adopted various tactics during the match, initially playing deep in the first half before becoming more aggressive in the second. Regardless of their strategy, France consistently threatened, prompting Bounou to make several key saves. Doué proved deadly when space was limited, while Barcola exploited openings with explosive runs. The front quartet—often referred to as the Fantastic Four or the Four Musketeers—performed admirably once again.
While they could have scored five or six, the two goals they did net were exceptional, featuring Mbappé’s exquisite curler and Dembélé’s classic finish (notably, Mbappé made a run to create room for his teammate). These magical moments exemplified the brilliance of the French attack. — Julien Laurens
Morocco: A team to watch in 2030
Morocco has solidified its position as Africa’s top footballing nation, building on their semifinal run in 2022 by reaching the quarterfinals in this tournament, having faced France in both instances. With a more favorable draw, they could have advanced even further.
While France has showcased its supremacy in this tournament, Morocco has not regressed by reaching the last eight. None of Morocco’s starters in this game exceed the age of 30, and with 18-year-old midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, most of this squad will remain intact for the 2030 World Cup, which they co-host with Spain and Portugal.
Morocco has a thriving youth system and continues to tap into its vast diaspora, including players born in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. This trend is likely to persist.
However, they still face challenges, particularly in providing backup for the injured Ismael Saibari and lacking depth in defense without the injured Nayef Aguerd, Romain Saïss, and Jawad El Yamiq. Nonetheless, with four years to prepare for a World Cup on home soil, Morocco has the potential to become a formidable contender and make history as the first African nation to win the tournament.
Rather than take a step back since Qatar 2022, Morocco has demonstrated they possess solid foundations for future growth. — Ogden
France’s supporting cast shines as unsung heroes
Aside from the match against Norway, when Stale Solbakken fielded a reserve team and France scored thrice in the first 32 minutes, Didier Deschamps’s side has recorded impressive defensive statistics in their other four matches against Senegal, Iraq, Sweden, and Morocco. They have conceded only 2.33 expected goals (xG) from 23 shots, with just four on target. Additionally, very few of the limited chances they’ve allowed qualify as “big chances,” according to Opta’s data. In fact, from the start of the second half in their opening match against Senegal (excluding the Norway encounter), only two shots with an xG greater than 0.10 have been given up.
While Iraq, Sweden, and Paraguay may not rank as formidable opposition, Morocco and Senegal faced each other in the last Africa Cup of Nations final. This demonstrates France’s solid defensive capabilities. While a strong performance certainly stems from their center-backs, William Saliba and Dayot Upamecano, it’s also true that teams employing a deep-lying approach often struggle in transition against France.
Much of this effectiveness can be attributed to the midfield duo of Adrien Rabiot and Manu Koné, who stepped up following Tchouameni’s injury. Both players have embraced more defensive roles than they typically assume at their clubs, like AC Milan and AS Roma. Their selflessness allows Deschamps to field an attacking front four since one of them can typically disrupt counterattacks before they pose a threat.
On the other hand, one wonders how the Rabiot-Koné partnership would fare against a squad that retains possession and applies pressure in midfield, such as Spain, whom they could face in the semifinal. Deschamps will address that challenge when it arises. For now, he acknowledges that without the solid efforts of his defense, the spotlight on the attacking lineup would be far less intense. — Gab Marcotti
Bounou shines but can’t shoulder the load alone for Morocco
The match was effectively decided once Dembélé scored France’s second goal in the 66th minute. However, Morocco stayed competitive largely due to Bounou’s first-half heroics.
The 35-year-old goalkeeper made an impressive save on an early header from Upamecano, followed by a crucial stop on Mbappé’s penalty—marking his fourth penalty save in World Cup history. Before the half concluded, Bounou also denied Doué and deflected a long-range effort from Lucas Digne onto the crossbar.
There was little he could do about Mbappé’s goal, as the attempt was executed quickly in a crowded area. However, he might feel disappointed about allowing Dembélé’s goal; although he got a good hand on it, he lacked the strength to keep it from crossing the line. Still, Bounou has had a stellar tournament, building on his fantastic performance in Qatar, and many African goalkeepers, such as Vozinha from Cape Verde, have also excelled.
The question remains whether Bounou will be present in 2030. By then, he will be 39, but the prospect of playing in a World Cup co-hosted by Morocco may provide the motivation to continue. His performances this summer indicate that he remains more than capable at this level. — Rob Dawson