Mbappé eases injury fears as France reach World Cup semifinals

• Kylian Mbappé confirmed he is fit after suffering an ankle knock during France’s quarterfinal victory over Morocco.
• The France captain scored and assisted in the 2-0 win to help send Les Bleus into the World Cup semifinals.
• France will face either Spain or Belgium for a place in the World Cup final.

Kylian Mbappé has dismissed concerns over an ankle injury sustained during France’s 2-0 victory over Morocco, insisting he will be ready after helping Les Bleus secure a place in the World Cup semifinals.

The France captain received treatment on the pitch before being substituted in the 77th minute at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Television pictures later showed Mbappé with ice strapped to his right ankle while watching the closing stages from the bench.

Despite the knock, the 27-year-old played down any fears about his availability.

“I’m all good,” Mbappé said.

“I got a knock on the ankle, but it’s all good.”

“JP was more able than me to play the last 15 minutes.”

A source also confirmed there were no significant concerns over the forward’s condition.

“There are no concerns to have on Kylian’s ankle,” the source said.

Mbappé was heavily involved in the post-match celebrations, joining supporters on the pitch before celebrating with teammates inside the dressing room.

France’s victory repeated the 2-0 scoreline from their semifinal win over Morocco at the 2022 World Cup and booked another appearance in the final four.

Before the match, much of the attention focused on Mbappé’s friendship with Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi, his former Paris Saint-Germain teammate.

Several Morocco players were also born in France, adding another layer to the occasion, but Mbappé said there was no room for sentiment during the match.

“Here, there is no sentiment,” Mbappé said.

“There are no emotions.”

“I’m here to win and he was here to win too.”

“But it’s true that when I will go to see him in the dressing room, it will hit me, because he is a very close friend.”

Mbappé recovered from a first-half penalty miss to score France’s opening goal with a strike from the edge of the penalty area before setting up Ousmane Dembélé for the second.

His goal moved him level with Lionel Messi on eight goals in the race for the tournament’s Golden Boot, while his assist took his total goal involvements to 11 at this World Cup.

Mbappé has now recorded at least 10 goal involvements at each of the last two World Cups, becoming the first player since 1966 to achieve that feat in consecutive tournaments.

France will face either Spain or Belgium in the World Cup semifinals in Arlington, Texas.

“We are very happy,” Mbappé said.

“We are aware that there is only one way to relax, it’s to win.”

“But we still have a long way.”

“We know that what is coming next will be even harder but we are ready to face anything.”

“We will recover nicely and watch the game tomorrow to see who we will face.”