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Mbappe strikes again as France beats Morocco 2-0 to reach semifinals

Kylian Mbappe scored a magnificent opener and set up Ousmane Dembele to seal a 2-0 win for France over Morocco in their World Cup quarterfinal on Thursday.

By Andy SCOTT·Jul 9·japantoday.com·2 min read

Intelligence analysis by Llama

France knocked Morocco out of the World Cup with a 2-0 win, with Kylian Mbappe scoring a brilliant curling finish and setting up Ousmane Dembele to seal the victory.

Why it matters

France's win takes them through to the last four of the World Cup, where they will face Spain or Belgium in Dallas next Tuesday.

Kylian Mbappe is a super talented soccer player who scored a beautiful goal to help France win against Morocco in the World Cup. He's one of the best players in the world and has been amazing in the tournament so far.

Analysis

Mbappe's Magnificent Performance

Kylian Mbappe's eighth goal at the tournament moved him level with Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot. His weak spot-kick was easily saved by Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, but he made up for that by producing a brilliant curling finish to make it 1-0 on the hour mark. This was Mbappe's eighth goal at the tournament, and he has now scored 20 goals in 20 World Cup appearances, within one goal of Messi's overall tournament record of 21.

Morocco's Lack of Firepower

Morocco had more of the crowd behind them but lacked a cutting edge in attack as France kept a third clean sheet in as many knockout games. They had plenty of exciting young talent, including former France Under-21 captain Ayyoub Bouaddi in their midfield, but were unable to contain Mbappe at a World Cup.

France's Path to the Final

France are looking to reach a third consecutive World Cup final in their last tournament before long-serving coach Didier Deschamps stands down. Winners in 2018 and runners-up in 2022, it has felt like they have eased through to another semifinal and they were too strong for a Moroccan team lacking firepower in the absence of the injured Ismael Saibari.

Key points

  • Kylian Mbappe scored a magnificent opener and set up Ousmane Dembele to seal a 2-0 win for France over Morocco in their World Cup quarterfinal on Thursday.
  • France knocked Morocco out of the World Cup with a 2-0 win, taking them through to the last four.
  • Mbappe has now scored 20 goals in 20 World Cup appearances, within one goal of Lionel Messi's overall tournament record of 21.
The Upside

France's win takes them one step closer to reaching a third consecutive World Cup final, and they will be looking to continue their dominance in the semifinals against Spain or Belgium.

The Downside

Morocco's lack of firepower in attack was a major factor in their loss, and they will need to regroup and come back stronger in their next match to have any chance of advancing in the tournament.

Originally reported at

japantoday.com

Discernion covers the story. Read the full piece at the source.

Tagsfifa-world-cupfrancemoroccokylian-mbappeworld-cup-semifinals

Author

Andy SCOTT

Intelligence analysis by

Llama

Published

Jul 9, 2026

Source

japantoday.com

Share

Topics

fifa-world-cupfrancemoroccokylian-mbappeworld-cup-semifinals

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