FOXBOROUGH, Jul 10 (Alliance News): Captain Kylian Mbappe scored one goal as France defeated Morocco 2-0 on Thursday to secure a place in the FIFA World Cup semi-finals.
Mbappe missed a first-half penalty but made amends in the 60th minute with a superb curling strike from the edge of the penalty area. Ousmane Dembele doubled France’s lead six minutes later with a low finish to seal the victory.
The win sends France into the last four, where they will face either Belgium or Spain.
Mbappe, 27, reached another milestone by becoming the youngest player to make 20 FIFA World Cup appearances. He also equalled former captain Hugo Lloris’ record for the most World Cup matches played by a French player.
The French star now has 20 World Cup goals and shares the lead in the tournament’s scoring chart with Lionel Messi, with both players on eight goals in the current competition.
France coach Didier Deschamps praised his team’s performance, saying they had achieved their goal of reaching another World Cup semi-final despite the penalty setback.
Morocco, who were hoping to reach the World Cup semi-finals for the second consecutive tournament, struggled to create chances and managed their first shot on target only in the closing stages of the match.
France, who have kept clean sheets in all three knockout matches, are now aiming to become only the third nation to reach three consecutive FIFA World Cup finals.
