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Kylian Mbappe spread his arms wide and spun around after scoring his eighth goal at this year’s World Cup. He later gave the jubilant France fans scattered around the stadium a wave as he left the game due to an injury scare.
Les Bleus, with a star striker who said he is fine despite a right ankle problem, are heading back to the semi-finals for a third consecutive World Cup tournament.
Mbappé had a goal and an assist after missing a first-half penalty, Ousmane Dembele also scored, and two-time champions France beat Morocco 2-0 on Thursday in the quarter-finals.
“There’s only one way to relax and that’s by winning. Until we’ve done that, we won’t give up,” Mbappé said. “We are in the semi-finals and we are very happy, but there is still a long way to go.”
Mbappé’s 60th-minute goal was the 20th of his World Cup career and came in his 20th game at the tournament, moving him one behind Argentina captain Lionel Messi. Dembélé scored his fifth goal of the tournament in the 66th minute.
Mbappé went to the ground in the 76th minute, some 13 minutes after being badly hit by a Moroccan defender, and was taken off as a substitute a minute later. He was then shown sitting on the bench with an ice pack on his right ankle.
After the game and with both shoes on, Mbappé ran and jumped in celebration with his teammates.
“I got hit in the ankle, but I’m fine,” Mbappé said. “At that time JP (Jean-Philippe Mateta) was in better shape than I was to play the last few minutes.”
France will face either Spain or Belgium in the semi-finals in Dallas on Tuesday.
France beat Morocco by the same scoreline in the semi-finals of the 2022 tournament in Qatar as the Atlas Lions became the first African team to reach that far. France are now on course to become only the third nation to play in the finals of three consecutive World Cups.
“It’s a confirmation of how we’ve played so far,” said France coach Didier Deschamps, who added that there is a reason for his side’s success in recent World Cups.
“Having great players. Excellent players. My credit goes to the players. But maybe I’m doing my job well,” he said. “The only truth is the one on the pitch.”
Mbappé got his goal with a perfectly placed shot just inside the far post after Morocco failed to clear the ball. He received the ball just outside the area, took a few steps forward and then sent his shot sailing into the net. He extended both arms and ran to the sideline to celebrate with his teammates.
France’s second goal came after Mbappé took a pass and tapped it back to Dembélé. Mbappé kept running forward, taking defenders with him and opening up space for Dembélé’s shot.
Dembélé said he was not surprised by how Mbappé stepped up after his first-half penalty miss.
“He is our captain and he has an incredible mentality,” Dembélé said. “We expect even more goals from him.”
France had a 21-4 advantage in shots on goal and an 8-1 edge in shots on goal for the game.
“We are very disappointed. We wanted to continue,” Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi said. “When we had possession, our transitions weren’t great and we had to run a bit more. Their players were in their comfort zone.”
Mbappé also had the first shot on target in the game, and he just missed in the fourth minute. Then, in the 25th, he ran up the left as he was brought down in the box by Morocco defender Noussair Mazraoui. Referee Facundo Tello quickly pointed to the penalty spot.
Mbappé lined up and waited for his attempt, but was held up by a lengthy video review. He finally cleared it in the 28th minute, but after a hesitation, Mbappé’s shot towards the right corner was blocked by goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, who guessed the direction of the shot correctly.
Deschamps said the lengthy review also included a review for another error.
Mbappé scored his only other penalty attempt at this year’s World Cup in France’s 1-0 win over Paraguay in the round of 16.
Still, France was by far the more active team offensively in the first half, holding a 13-1 advantage in shots on goal.
Morocco’s best opportunity came just before the half-time whistle when Achraf Hakimi sent a free-kick from just outside the box past the right post.
France now have a chance to emulate Brazil and West Germany by reaching three consecutive World Cup finals.
“We realize that what lies ahead is even tougher than what we have been through,” Mbappé said, “but we are ready to face anything.”
Report from the Associated Press.
