Mbappe strikes after missed penalty as France wins
France captain Kylian Mbappe missed a first-half penalty but curled in a sublime opening goal in the second as France struck twice in six minutes to brush aside Morocco 2-0 and book its spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-finals.
Mbappe, who at 27 became the youngest player to make 20 FIFA World Cup appearances, also bagged his 20th FIFA World Cup goal with a curling shot from just inside the box before Ousmane Dembele added another six minutes later with a low drive to set up a last-four meeting with Belgium or Spain.
Mbappe is the tournament's joint top scorer with eight goals, level with Lionel Messi, and he trails the Argentinean by one goal in the FIFA World Cup all-time scoring list, a record he is sure to take at some point if not at this tournament then the next in 2030, which Morocco will co-host with Spain and Portugal.
"That’s three [semi-finals] in a row – it’s good," France coach Didier Deschamps said after the win.
"It seems logical and natural, but you still have to get the job done. It was tricky, the penalty, when it’s Kylian. He never has any doubts. But we’re exactly where we wanted to be. We’re taking another step forward today, finding ourselves in the final four once again. It shows we’re right there in the mix."
In a repeat of the 2022 FIFA World Cup semi-final, France looked the hungrier side throughout, with Morocco, aiming for a second straight last-four spot, badly missing injured striker Ismael Saibari and failing to get a shot on target until the 84th minute.
"We are very disappointed, we wanted to advance," Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi said.
"We have to recognise that France is a great team with excellent players. France had the better scoring opportunities. We lacked ideas and freshness, and we have to accept this defeat.
"Today France was stronger but we are able to compete and progress and maybe eliminate them in four years' time."
Les Bleus, bidding to become only the third nation to reach three consecutive FIFA World Cup finals, started strongly with a couple of early chances.
Mbappe, who also equalled the all-time France record held by Hugo Lloris for FIFA World Cup matches, had an early opportunity with a low drive that Morocco keeper Yassine Bounou managed to tip wide.
Both teams were initially cautious of not making an error that could end up costing them in a high-stakes match.
France earned a 28th-minute penalty through Mbappe but Bounou calmly stood his ground, picked the correct side and smothered the France forward's weak effort. It was Mbappe's first penalty miss for the national team since UEFA Euro 2020.
The title favourite also hit the crossbar in first-half stoppage-time through Lucas Digne's powerful 30-metre drive, while Morocco struggled to reach its opponents' box and did not have an effort on or off target in the first 45 minutes.
Mbappe made amends for his miss on the hour mark with a quick look up and superb finish and before Morocco had time to recover, France struck again through Dembele.
The forward, who forms a formidable frontline with Mbappe and Michael Olise, made use of the space opened up by Mbappe's run to rifle in a second goal and his fifth of the tournament.
"A mission? I don't know but we can't afford to let up," Mbappe, who was substituted late in the game with a slight ankle injury, said.
"There's still a long way to go, and what lies ahead is even tougher, but we'll recover well.
"I have a minor ankle injury, but I'm completely fine.
"[Jean-Philippe] Mateta was in a better position to play the remaining minutes of the match and was fitter at that moment. That's all that happened."
