French captain, Kylian Mbappe, scored a superb goal as France struck twice in six minutes to brush aside Morocco 2-0 in Houston, and book their spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-finals.
Mbappe is the tournament’s joint top scorer with eight goals, level with Argentina’s Lionel Messi.
He trails the Argentine by just one goal in the World Cup all-time scoring list.
The 27-year-old Mbappe became the youngest player to rack up 20 World Cup appearances.
He scored his 20th World Cup goal in the second half to break Morocco’s resistance.
Ousmane Dembele added another six minutes later with a low drive. In a repeat of the 2022 World Cup semi-final, France looked the hungrier.
The Atlas Lions badly missed injured forward Ismael Saibari and failed to get a shot on target until the 84th minute.
France fans celebrated as they left the Boston Stadium. Morocco fans were disappointed but felt France was the better team and deserved to win.
“Yassine Bounou played very well, but actually we still have something missing in the puzzle to create a good team and to play better and to win to beat the French team. French team is actually is the best one in this World Cup and for sure is gonna win the World Cup. There’s no question about that,” says a fan.
“I’m a bit disappointed, but they played a better game. They played a better game. Good for France, they deserve the win. Congratulations, France,” says another fan.
Les Bleus will next play on Tuesday in Arlington, Texas, against the winner of Friday’s second quarterfinal between Spain and Belgium.
Meanwhile, Belgium held a training session in Carson, California, ahead of their World Cup quarter-final against Spain at the Los Angeles Stadium.
Their opponents, Spain, are unbeaten in 35 matches. It’s a run that has turned Luis de la Fuente’s team from promising European champions into a team that exerts confident control over its opponents.
Spain entered the tournament as one of the favourites, and after a slow start, they found their swagger with a 3-0 win over Austria in the round of 32. Veteran forward Romelu Lukaku said Belgium would have to be on top of its game to beat Spain.
“Spain is a very complete team because they are very strong in many phases of the game. They can play a fast-paced combination with two wingers, and they have many intelligent players within the lines,” says Belgium Forward Romelo Lukaku.
The match will kick off at 21h00, South African time.
—Reuters—
