NEWS
Mbappe and Dembele fire France into World Cup semi-finals!
Against Morocco, France continue to solidify their favourite status at this World Cup.
France are the first World Cup semi-finalists!
The "Equipe Tricolore" secured a dominant 2-0 victory against Morocco in the quarter-finals in Boston. The French thus continue their march towards a third World Cup title.
France start strong
Right in the third minute, Kylian Mbappe posed the first threat. The superstar fired a long-range shot just wide of the goal.
In the next attack, Dayot Upamecano got a header after a long cross. But the Bayern player headed from close range directly at Morocco keeper Bono.
Mbappe wins penalty, then misses
Shortly before the hydration break, Morocco had a good opportunity, but before it could become truly dangerous, the French cleared the ball and initiated a dangerous counter-attack.
Via Olise, the ball landed with Mbappe, who penetrated the penalty area and was brought down by Mazraoui. A clear decision for referee Tello, who immediately pointed to the spot.
The fouled player himself stepped up; he hesitated slightly and shot into the right corner. However, the weakly struck shot was no problem for Bono, who saved the ball.
A curling shot to glory
The French, however, continued to press, but both Doue and Digne were denied by the strong Bono in the first half.
It was Doue who then made the first statement in the second half; his powerful long-range shot landed squarely in Bono's arms.
Shortly thereafter, Mbappe received the ball at the edge of the penalty area. He shimmied briefly and curled the ball perfectly past defender Diop into the far corner (60').
Dembele seals it
A good five minutes later, Ousmane Dembele also got the ball at the edge of the penalty area; he too just took a shot and again the ball landed in the Moroccan goal (66').
The French then eased off the pace a bit and made several substitutions, with Kylian Mbappe also being substituted. Nevertheless, they allowed almost nothing and played out the match very confidently.
France will face the winner between Spain and Belgium in the match for a place in the World Cup final. With Morocco, however, the last African team has also been eliminated from the World Cup.
