Mbappe Erases Penalty Miss To Sink Morocco

Kylian Mbappe had just seen his first-half penalty saved by Yassine Bounou, the tame effort straight at the Morocco goalkeeper after a long delay before the kick. An hour later he was dancing on the Gillette Stadium pitch, France’s place in another World Cup semi-final secure and his own tournament goal tally climbing to eight.

France beat Morocco 2-0 in Boston on Thursday night to reach the last four for a second straight World Cup, with Mbappe’s 60th-minute finish and a second goal from Ousmane Dembele six minutes later settling a quarter-final that Morocco, without the injured Ismael Saibari, never looked able to turn around.

Bounou Denies Mbappe, Briefly

Achraf Mazraoui brought down Mbappe inside the area in the 25th minute, and after a long stoppage Mbappe stepped up himself. Bounou guessed the right way and beat away the tame effort, sparking wild celebrations on the Morocco bench. France kept pressing. Dayot Upamecano wasted an early chance of his own, and Lucas Digne’s swerving effort from distance cannoned back off the crossbar in first-half stoppage time.

The chances kept coming after the break. Mbappe finally beat Bounou in the 60th minute, finding the far corner to put France in front. Dembele added the second in the 66th, his shot creeping beyond the goalkeeper to make it 2-0. Mbappe went off in the 76th minute, appearing unhurt, and explained the change himself afterward.

“I have a minor ankle injury, but I am completely fine,” he said. “Mateta was in a better position to play the remaining minutes of the match and was fitter at that moment. That is all that happened.”

Anyone hoping the early withdrawal signalled an injury problem for the rounds ahead found their answer within minutes of the final whistle. Mbappe was pictured dancing on the Gillette Stadium pitch, in no discomfort at all, with the bigger question for Spain, Belgium, Argentina, Switzerland, Norway and England alike now increasingly simple: is there anyone left in this World Cup capable of stopping France?

France’s route to Boston had already shown their capacity to win in different ways, mixing attacking football with the discipline to see out tighter contests, a balance Deschamps has prized throughout his time in charge and one that gives Les Bleus a route through almost any kind of opponent left in the draw.

A Repeat Meeting, A Different Story

Thursday’s game was a repeat of the 2022 semi-final between the two nations, when France also won on the way to the final in Qatar. This time Morocco arrived without Saibari, the winger whose goals had helped eliminate Canada in the last 16, and struggled to build the kind of chances that carried them to the semi-finals four years earlier.

Morocco head coach Mohamed Ouahbi did not hide his disappointment in the result but pointed to what his squad had built across this tournament and the one before it, when Morocco reached the last four for the first time in the country’s history.

“The future will be bright if we continue like this, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t want to win today,” Ouahbi said. “Of course we wanted to win today. We did everything we could to win, but we faced a very difficult opponent. It’s a disappointment, of course, but we’ll keep working for the future.

“We know we represent more than just one country. We represent the Moroccan people, and many countries across Asia and Africa. Many people see themselves in this team, and we’ll keep working to win titles in the future.”

That run to the last four in Qatar made Morocco the first nation from Africa to reach a World Cup semi-final, and Thursday’s exit does not erase what the squad have built across the two tournaments together: back-to-back quarter-final appearances, with a squad Ouahbi insists still has more to give before the next World Cup comes around.

A Habit Built In The Knockouts

The penalty miss did nothing to slow Mbappe’s run through the knockout rounds. Five days earlier, his 70th-minute penalty had been the only goal of a bad-tempered last-16 win over Paraguay in Philadelphia, a match in which Paraguay completed just 54 per cent of their passes and picked up no cards at all, the first World Cup game to finish that way in 28 years. That goal moved Mbappe level with Lionel Messi on seven World Cup goals and stretched his own record for World Cup knockout goals to 11, a mark no other player in the competition’s history has come close to reaching.

Mbappe was almost made to pay for missed chances in that game too. Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill produced a fine stoppage-time double save to deny him a second goal, and Mbappe walked off at the final whistle without shaking hands with his opponent, a rare flash of frustration in what has otherwise been a ruthless run through the knockout rounds.

Looking ahead after the Paraguay win, Mbappe had already turned his attention to Morocco. “We knew what kind of match to expect,” he said. “I think it was really good for us to experience a game like that and to see how we handled it. We showed that we’re not just a team capable of playing attacking football. Every team uses its own strengths, there’s no right or wrong way to play. The only right way is to win. Now we have to focus on Morocco.” He added that the squad was looking forward to the challenge, given the quality of the opposition.

Deschamps had praised his side’s ability to grind out a result as much as their attacking football after that win. “It wasn’t easy,” the France manager said. “Paraguay use every trick in the book. It’s not necessarily the kind of football people enjoy watching, but we stayed focused and that’s not easy to do. They’re a physical side and they defend very well. It’s another important step forward. It’s always difficult against South American teams, but I’m delighted that the players got the job done. We’re into the quarter-finals and we have to enjoy that.”

Spain Or Belgium Next

Friday’s late kick-off in Los Angeles will decide who France meet in Arlington. Spain have not conceded a goal all tournament and carry the lowest xG against of any side left in the competition at 1.49, though Cape Verde’s group-stage display showed how they can be frustrated: Luis de la Fuente’s side have underperformed their own expected-goals tally and convert chances at a lower rate than any of the other seven quarter-finalists. Belgium arrived at the same stage after twice coming from behind, including two goals down with four minutes left against Senegal before winning in extra time, and then beating the USA 4-1 in the last 16.

Belgium’s Leandro Trossard and Charles De Ketelaere have carried much of their attacking threat through the tournament, while Spain lean on a defence built around Pau Cubarsi and Aymeric Laporte that has yet to be beaten. Whichever side advances, the Opta Supercomputer already rates France as favourites to lift the trophy on July 19, a projection Mbappe’s performance on Thursday did nothing to dent.

Deschamps’ bench continues to offer options few rivals can match. Doue’s introduction had unlocked the tight Paraguay game in the last 16, winning the penalty that separated the sides, and Mateta was ready to see out the closing stages against Morocco once Mbappe’s ankle began to bother him.

One Win From A Third Final

France’s win sets up a semi-final against the winner of that Spain-Belgium tie, with the last-four match scheduled for Arlington, Texas on Tuesday. Deschamps’ side are chasing a third straight World Cup final, having lifted the trophy in 2018 and lost the 2022 final to Argentina on penalties. AT&T Stadium in Arlington, which has already staged some of the tournament’s biggest occasions, will host the semi-final on Tuesday in front of a global audience looking to see whether Mbappe can finally be stopped.

Mbappe’s tournament has been built on moments like Thursday’s: missing from the spot, then finding a way to decide the game anyway. With eight goals and three assists from six matches, he leads the race for the Golden Boot, with Erling Haaland one goal further back after Norway’s run to the same stage.

There is an individual prize beyond the Golden Boot at stake too. A run to a third final in three tournaments would put Mbappe firmly in the conversation for the Golden Ball, awarded to the competition’s outstanding player, alongside the France captains who have lifted it before him. Two more wins, in Arlington and then in the final itself, would put both trophies well within reach.

Morocco can point to a run that carried them past the group phase and through two knockout matches before Mbappe and Dembele ended it in Boston. For France, the only number that counts now is one: one win away from a third final in a row.

Mbappe now shares the Golden Boot lead with Messi’s Argentina on eight goals apiece after Thursday’s results, with Haaland one behind for Norway and Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham both still in contention for England. Only two rounds remain to separate them.

WRITTEN BY

Jarrod

Jarrod Partridge is the Founder of Futbol Chronicle and an accredited journalist with over 30 years of experience following international football. A member of the AIPS International Sports Press Association, Jarrod has covered matches at stadiums around the world, bringing first-hand insight to every match report, player profile, and tactical analysis he writes.

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