Mbappé on target as France beat Morocco, head to World Cup semi-finals

Kylian Mbappé recovered from a saved first-half penalty to score a brilliant opener, setting France on their way to a 2-0 win against Morocco in their World Cup quarter-final on Thursday. Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou saved Mbappé's spot-kick, but the French forward later produced a curling finish to break the deadlock in the 60th minute.

Mbappé's goal, his eighth of the tournament, moved him level with Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot. He later set up Ousmane Dembélé to secure the victory. France, the 2018 winners and 2022 runners-up, will face either Spain or Belgium in Dallas next Tuesday as they aim to reach a third consecutive World Cup final.

France were too strong for a Moroccan team that lacked firepower, partly due to the absence of the injured Ismael Saibari. While Morocco had crowd support, they struggled to create clear chances against a French defense that has now kept three consecutive clean sheets in knockout games.

Mbappé has now scored 20 goals in 20 World Cup appearances, one goal shy of Lionel Messi's tournament record. The Real Madrid star had initially provoked the penalty when he was fouled by Noussair Mazraoui in the 25th minute. Despite the missed penalty, Mbappé proved decisive, showcasing his status as one of the game's greatest goal-scorers.

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Kylian Mbappe recovered from having a first-half penalty saved to score a magnificent opener that set France on their way to a 2-0 win over Morocco in their World Cup quarter-final showdown on Thursday.