France are through to the FIFA World Cup semifinals after defeating Morocco 2-0 in their quarterfinal showdown in Boston on Thursday. Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele struck in the second half to seal the victory, but France were left sweating over Mbappe’s fitness after the captain appeared to suffer an injury before being substituted.
Mbappe was forced off in the 77th minute after sitting on the pitch for a couple of minutes and signalling to the bench for a substitution. He acknowledged supporters as he walked off alongside France’s medical staff before later being seen on the bench with ice wrapped around his right ankle during the closing stages of the match.
France had an opportunity to take the lead before halftime when Mbappe won a penalty following a lengthy VAR review. However, the striker endured a wait of more than three minutes before taking the kick, allowing Morocco goalkeeper, Yassine Bounou, enough time to prepare. Bounou guessed correctly and produced the save to keep the score level heading into the break.
The deadlock was finally broken in the 60th minute when Mbappe redeemed himself with a superb curling effort that beat Issa Diop and nestled just inside the far post. The goal was the France captain’s 20th at the FIFA World Cup.
Dembele put the result beyond doubt six minutes later, bursting forward before firing a low shot that slipped past Bounou to make it 2-0.
The victory sends France into the semifinals, where they will face either Spain or Belgium next week. Les Bleus have also become only the third nation in World Cup history to reach three consecutive semifinal appearances, matching the achievements of Brazil and Germany.
