Kylian Mbappé scored a sensational second-half goal to put France ahead against Morocco and lead Les Bleus back into the World Cup semi-finals.
The French captain endured a frustrating opening 45 minutes after his penalty was brilliantly saved by Moroccan goalkeeper Yassin Bounou. Both teams went into the interval tied 0-0.
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Kylian Mbappé scores the first goal for France
Mbappé made up for his earlier mistakes in a brilliant way.
In the 60th minute, Desiree Douet pulled out the forward on the edge of the penalty area and with one touch the Real Madrid superstar fired a stunning shot into the top right corner of the goal.
The ball went into the net and Bounow had no chance.
The goal was Mbappe’s eighth of this World Cup, putting him level with Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot.
See the goals below.
Ousmane Dembele doubles France’s lead
Just six minutes after Mbappé scored France’s first goal, he set up Ousmane Dembele’s second goal.
The 27-year-old slipped a pass into the path of Dembele, who cut inside and guided a precise finish into the bottom-right corner.
This time Bounou touched it, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the ball from rolling in. With the fast-break double, France firmly took control of the tie in the quarterfinals.
See the goals below.
France advances to World Cup semi-finals for third consecutive year
France reached the semi-finals of the World Cup once again, making it their third consecutive semi-final appearance.
After lifting the trophy in 2018, France reached the final again in 2022, but suffered a heartbreaking defeat to Argentina in one of the greatest World Cup finals in history.
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Les Bleus will aim to win their second World Cup in three tournaments and will face either Spain or Belgium in the semi-finals.
With Mbappé back on the biggest stage, France look every bit like genuine contenders to go all the way.
