France beats Morocco 2-0 to reach World Cup semifinals

France secured a comfortable 2-0 victory over Morocco to reach the World Cup semifinals. Despite Kylian Mbappe missing a penalty in the 28th minute, he later scored his eighth World Cup goal in the 60th minute, putting France on the path to victory. Ousmane Dembele added a second goal in the 66th minute. France will play either Spain or Belgium in the semifinals on Tuesday. Coach Didier Deschamps, who will depart after the World Cup, expressed pride in reaching the semifinals for the third consecutive time. He highlighted Mbappe's performance, noting that even with a missed penalty, his presence provides reassurance. Mbappe, whose ankle injury is not serious, cautioned that the journey is far from over. In front of 63,811 spectators in Boston, Morocco defended compactly, making it difficult for France to break through. Early attempts by Dayot Upamecano, Ousmane Dembélé, and Adrien Rabiot were saved or missed. Mbappe's penalty attempt was saved by goalkeeper Bono after a foul in the box. Bono also made a save against Desire Doue and was fortunate when Lucas Digne hit the crossbar just before halftime, with France dominating possession but failing to score. The second half saw Morocco play with more confidence. Mbappe's goal, a skillful shot into the far corner, opened the scoring, leading to a relaxed finish for France. This goal equaled Mbappe's World Cup tally with Lionel Messi.

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Three times in a row in the semifinals, you have to achieve that first, even with a series of great players.