NEW DELHI: Kylian Mbappé bounced back from a rare penalty miss to inspire France to a 2-0 win over Morocco and book a place in the FIFA World Cup semifinals for the third consecutive tournament. However, the victory came with a worry for France after Mbappe was forced off in the 77th minute with an ankle injury. The forward later assured fans that the issue was not serious. “I took a hit on my ankle, but I’m fine,” said Mbappé, who was replaced by Jean-Philippe Mateta. “At that point, JP was in more shape than I was to play the last few minutes.”
Mbappe recovers after the penalty
Mbappe had a disappointing moment in the first half when he failed to convert a penalty. Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou guessed the right way and made the save after Noussair Mazraoui fouled Mbappe in the box in the 28th minute.France coach Didier Deschamps felt the lengthy VAR review before the penalty affected his star attack.“Kylian was ready to shoot,” Deschamps said. “I don’t want to find excuses for Kylian, but this was not an easy situation. … We need to adapt.”Mbappe made amends in the second half. In the 60th minute, he dribbled into the penalty area and fired a powerful shot into the post to score his eighth goal of the tournament.Just six minutes later, he set up Ousmane Dembele for France’s second goal, as the two champions sealed their place in the last four, where they will face Spain or Belgium.
Fear of injuries for France
France suffered a scare shortly after Mbappe’s goal when Morocco defender Issa Diop stepped on his ankle in the 63rd minute.Although Mbappe tried to continue, he eventually collapsed in pain and reported to the bench. After receiving treatment, he was substituted and saw the rest of the match with an ice pack on his right ankle.Deschamps brushed off the concerns after the game.“It’s a slight pain in the ankle,” France coach Didier Deschamps said. “Nothing serious.”
Golden Boot race heat up
Mbappe’s goal took his tally to eight at the 2026 World Cup, drawing him level with Argentina captain Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot. Mbappe currently leads because he has more assists, which is the tiebreaker.The goal was also his 20th in just 20 World Cup games, leaving him just one behind Messi’s all-time World Cup tally of 21 goals.
Attention turns to the semi-finals
Despite reaching another World Cup semi-final, Mbappe insisted France are far from satisfied.“There is only one way to relax, and that is winning,” said Mbappé. “Until we have done this, we will not give up. We are in the semi-finals and we are very happy, but there is still a long way to go. We understand that what lies ahead is even harder than what we have been through, but we are ready to face anything.”France have now reached the semi-finals of three consecutive World Cups with Mbappe in the squad and will look to continue that run when they face either Spain or Belgium for a place in the final.