France 2-0 Morocco: Mbappé and Dembélé send Les Bleus into semis
France booked their place in the World Cup semifinals with a comfortable 2-0 win over Morocco at the stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Kylian Mbappé was at the heart of the contest throughout, first seeing a first-half penalty saved by goalkeeper Yassine Bounou after he was fouled by Noussair Mazraoui, before making amends after the break.
The breakthrough came in the 60th minute when Mbappé curled a superb shot into the far corner, his 20th World Cup goal and one shy of Lionel Messi's tally. Four minutes later he turned provider, setting up Ousmane Dembélé to double the lead in the 66th minute for his fifth goal of the tournament.
France were dominant for long periods, finishing with a 21-4 advantage in total shots and 8-1 in shots on target. Morocco's best opportunity of the match came from an Achraf Hakimi free kick that flew narrowly wide just before halftime. The win keeps France on course to reach a third straight World Cup final.
Key moments
- •Mbappé had a first-half penalty saved by Yassine Bounou in the 28th minute
- •Mbappé broke the deadlock in the 60th minute with a curling finish into the far corner
- •Dembélé doubled France's lead in the 66th minute, assisted by Mbappé
- •France out-shot Morocco 21-4 overall and 8-1 on target
- •Achraf Hakimi's free kick was Morocco's closest chance, missing narrowly before halftime
Timeline
Match facts
- Foxborough, Massachusetts
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- Referee: Facundo Tello (Argentina)
Match report generated from publicly available sources. Facts are drawn from the sources below.