NEWNow you can listen to Pak Gazette articles!
Kylian Mbappé opened his arms and spun after scoring his eighth goal in this year’s World Cup. He later greeted jubilant French fans scattered around the stadium when he left the match due to an injury scare.
Les Bleus, with a star striker who said he is fine despite a right ankle problem, return to the semifinals for the third consecutive World Cup.
Mbappé scored a goal and an assist after missing a penalty in the first half, Ousmane Dembélé also scored and two-time champion France beat Morocco 2-0 on Thursday in the quarterfinals.
“There is only one way to relax, and that is by winning. Until we achieve that, we will not relax,” 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 match in the tournament, putting him one behind Argentine captain Lionel Messi. Dembélé scored his fifth goal of the tournament in the 66th.
Mbappé fell to the ground in the 76th minute, about 13 minutes after being severely hit by a Moroccan defender, and was replaced 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 to celebrate with his teammates.
“I hit my ankle, but I’m fine,” Mbappé said. “At that moment, JP (Jean-Philippe Mateta) was in better shape than me to play the last few minutes.”
France will face either Spain or Belgium in the semifinals on Tuesday in Dallas.
France beat Morocco by the same score in the semi-finals of the 2022 tournament in Qatar as the Atlas Lions became the first African team to make it that far. France now remains on track to become 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 French coach Didier Deschamps, who added that there is a reason for his team’s success in recent World Cups.
“I have great players. Excellent players. My credit goes to the players. But maybe I do my job well,” he said. “The only truth is what is in the field.”
Mbappé scored 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 box, took a couple of steps forward and then sent his shot into the net. He extended both arms and ran towards the sideline to celebrate with his teammates.
France’s second goal came after Mbappé received a pass and returned it to Dembélé. Mbappé continued to run forward and took defenders with him, opening up space for Dembélé’s shot.
Dembélé said he was not surprised how Mbappé took a step forward after missing his penalty in the first half.
“He is our captain and has an incredible mentality,” Dembélé said. “We expect even more goals from him.”
France maintained a 21-4 advantage in shots on goal and an 8-1 advantage in shots on goal during the match.
“We are very disappointed. We wanted to move on,” said Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi. “When we had possession of the ball, our transitions were not very good and we had to run a little more. Their players were in their comfort zone.”
Mbappé also had the first shot on goal of the game, but it missed just in the fourth minute. Then, at 25, he was running down the left side when he was brought down in the box by Moroccan defender Noussair Mazraoui. Referee Facundo Tello quickly pointed to the penalty spot.
Mbappé stood in line waiting for his attempt, but was slowed by a lengthy video review. He was finally cleared to shoot in the 28th minute, but after some hesitation, Mbappé’s shot towards the right corner was stopped by goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, who correctly guessed the direction of the shot.
Deschamps said the lengthy review also included a review for another foul.
Mbappé scored his only other penalty attempt at this year’s World Cup in France’s 1-0 victory over Paraguay in the round of 16.
Still, France was by far the most offensively active team in the first half, with a 13-1 advantage in shots on goal.
Morocco’s best chance came just before the halftime whistle when Achraf Hakimi sent a free kick from outside the box past the right post.
France now has the chance to emulate Brazil and West Germany and reach three consecutive World Cup finals.
“We are aware that what awaits us is even harder than what we have been through,” Mbappé said, “but we are prepared to face anything.”
Associated Press information.
