NEW DELHI: Kylian Mbappé united Lionel Messi exclusively FIFA World Cup club after producing an outstanding all-round performance in France’s 2-0 win over Morocco in the quarter-finals on Thursday. The French forward missed a first-half penalty but bounced back with a goal and an assist as Les Bleus booked their place in the FIFA World Cup semi-finals, where they will face either Spain or Belgium.With his performance, Mbappe achieved a feat that has only been seen four times in the last 60 years.There have only been four occasions in the last 60 years that a player has scored, assisted and missed a penalty in a World Cup match. Two of those came in the last three days – Lionel Messi against Egypt and Kylian Mbappe against Morocco.The rare feat was first accomplished by Ghana’s Asamoah Gyan against the Czech Republic in the 2006 World Cup. Karim Benzema became the second player to do so during France’s 5-2 win over Switzerland in the 2014 edition.
Mbappe recovers from the penalty miss
Mbappé looked set to give France a taste after Moroccan defender Noussair Mazraoui brought him down in the penalty area in the 25th minute.However, after a lengthy VAR review, the French star saw his penalty saved by goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, who guessed the right direction. The miss did little to slow him down.Mbappe made amends in the 60th minute, firing home his eighth goal of the 2026 World Cup and the 20th World Cup goal of his career. Just six minutes later, I set up Ousmane Dembele, whose finish doubled France’s lead.
More records for Mbappe
Mbappe’s latest display continued his outstanding World Cup record.It was the third time he had scored and assisted in the same World Cup game. Only Lionel Messi, with five such games, has succeeded more often in the last 60 years.The 27-year-old also became the first player since 1966 to record 10 or more goal contributions in two different World Cups. He had 10 goal contributions in 2022 and now has 11 in the 2026 edition.His 20th World Cup goal also moved him within a shot of Messi’s tally of 21.The victory sends Les Bleus into the semi-finals of the World Cup for the third tournament in a row (2018, 2022 and 2026). They became only the third nation to achieve this feat after Germany and Brazil.It was also France’s eighth World Cup semi-final appearance, tying Brazil for the second-most in the tournament’s history. Only Germany, with 12 semi-finals, has reached the last four more often.France will now look to continue their title defense when they meet either Spain or Belgium for a place in the World Cup finals.