SouthernWorldwide.com – France has advanced to the World Cup semifinals for the second consecutive tournament, defeating Morocco with a 2-0 victory.
This mirrors their encounter in 2022, where France ended Morocco’s historic run as the first African team to reach the World Cup semifinals. That match saw France secure a win on their way to the final in Qatar.
Four years later, the script was similar in the quarterfinals. Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé were the goalscorers, propelling France back into the semifinal stage.
France now awaits the winner of the match between Spain and Belgium, scheduled for Friday at 3 p.m. ET.
Morocco, much like Paraguay in the Round of 16 against France, adopted a strong defensive strategy. Their focus was on denying Mbappé clear scoring opportunities.
This approach was effective initially, though France maintained offensive pressure throughout the first half. However, Morocco’s defense was breached when a foul occurred within their penalty area, leading to a penalty kick.
Kylian Mbappé was designated to take the penalty. The referee, however, delayed the kick pending a VAR review. Despite the on-field call being a penalty, Mbappé experienced a frustrating delay as he was made to repeat his routine multiple times before finally being allowed to take the shot.
Morocco’s goalkeeper, Yassine “Bono” Bounou, anticipated Mbappé’s move. Bounou remained still, seemingly trying to bait Mbappé into a premature action, before diving to his left to save the penalty, keeping the score at 0-0 for the first half.
Morocco’s first significant scoring chance did not come until stoppage time, highlighting France’s dominance in controlling the game. It appeared to be a matter of time before France would break the deadlock.
Returning to their offensive rhythm in the second half, Mbappé managed to find a pocket of space within Morocco’s crowded penalty area. He then executed a perfectly placed shot past a diving Bounou, marking his eighth goal of the World Cup tournament.
This goal places Mbappé level with Lionel Messi of Argentina for the current World Cup’s top scorer. Mbappé now has 20 career World Cup goals, while Messi, who set a new all-time World Cup scoring record in the group stages, has 21 goals.
With Morocco forced to push forward in search of an equalizer after conceding, France found more openings. Ousmane Dembélé capitalized on one of these gaps.
In the 66th minute, Dembélé struck a powerful shot with his weaker right foot towards Bounou’s goal. Although the Moroccan goalkeeper managed to get a hand to the ball, it wasn’t enough to prevent it from finding the back of the net.
At this stage, France felt confident in their lead and began to manage the remainder of the match. Despite Morocco’s efforts, they were unable to create significant scoring opportunities. Didier Deschamps’ squad once again demonstrated their prowess in the World Cup, securing their place in the semifinals.
France is scheduled to play on July 14 at 3 p.m. ET in Dallas. They could face either Spain, who have maintained a clean sheet throughout the tournament, or Belgium, who eliminated the USA to reach the quarterfinals.
