The French national team defeated Morocco 2-0 in the World Cup quarterfinal and advanced to the semifinals of the tournament.
The main hero of the match was Kylian Mbappé. Although the French striker failed to convert a penalty in the first half, he scored a goal and provided an assist in the second half.
In the 28th minute of the game, Noussair Mazraoui committed a foul on Mbappé in the penalty area, and the referee awarded a penalty. After a VAR check lasting several minutes, the decision stood. However, Mbappé's shot was saved by Morocco's goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.
Nevertheless, the French took control in the second half. In the 60th minute, Mbappé opened the scoring with a precise long-range strike. Six minutes later, his pass set up Ousmane Dembélé for the team's second goal.
Statistics also reflected France's dominance. Didier Deschamps' players took 22 shots during the match, while Morocco threatened only five times. The ratio of shots on target was 8:1, and the expected goals (xG) value was 3.05 against 0.14.
This goal became Mbappé's eighth in the current World Cup. Thus, he caught up with Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot. He also increased his total goals in World Cup history to 20, closing in further on Messi, who has 21 goals.
However, in the 77th minute of the match, Mbappé left the field due to pain in his ankle. He was replaced by Jean-Philippe Mateta. After the game, the French captain stated that his injury was not serious.
"Everything is fine. I took a hit to my ankle, but there is no serious problem. In the final minutes, Mateta was in better shape than me," Mbappé said.
Thus, France advanced to the semifinals. The reigning world champions will now face the winner of the Spain – Belgium pair for a spot in the final.
