NEW DELHI: Kylian Mbappe bounced back from a rare penalty miss to inspire France to a 2-0 win over Morocco and book a place in the FIFA World Cup semifinals for the third straight tournament. However, the victory came with a concern for France after Mbappe was forced off in the 77th minute with an ankle injury.
The forward later reassured fans that the issue was not serious.
“I took a knock to the ankle, but I’m fine," said Mbappé, who was replaced by Jean-Philippe Mateta. “At that point, JP was in better shape than I was to play the final minutes.”
Mbappe recovers after penalty miss
Mbappe had a disappointing moment in the first half when he failed to convert a penalty. Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou guessed the right way and made the save after Noussair Mazraoui fouled Mbappe inside the box in the 28th minute.
France coach Didier Deschamps felt the long VAR review before the penalty affected his star forward.
“Kylian was ready to shoot,” Deschamps said. “I don’t want find excuses for Kylian, but this was not an easy situation. ... We need to adapt.”
Mbappe made amends in the second half. In the 60th minute, he dribbled into the penalty area and fired a powerful shot inside the post to score his eighth goal of the tournament.
Just six minutes later, he set up Ousmane Dembele for France's second goal as the two-time champions sealed their place in the last four, where they will face either Spain or Belgium.
Injury scare for France
France suffered a scare shortly after Mbappe's goal when Morocco defender Issa Diop stepped on his ankle in the 63rd minute.
Although Mbappe tried to continue, he eventually went down in pain and signalled to the bench. After receiving treatment, he was substituted and watched the rest of the match with an ice pack on his right ankle.
Deschamps eased concerns after the game.
“It's a slight pain in the ankle,” France coach Didier Deschamps said. “Nothing serious.”
Golden Boot race heats up
Mbappe's goal took his tally to eight at the 2026 World Cup, drawing level with Argentina captain Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot. Mbappe currently leads because he has more assists, which is the tiebreaker.
The goal was also his 20th in just 20 World Cup matches, leaving him only one behind Messi's all-time World Cup tally of 21 goals.
Focus shifts to the semifinals
Despite reaching another World Cup semifinal, Mbappe insisted France are far from satisfied.
“There’s only one way to relax, and that’s by winning,” Mbappé said. “Until we’ve done that, we don’t let up. We’re in the semifinals and we’re very happy, but there’s still a long way to go. We realize that what lies ahead is even tougher than what we’ve been through, but we’re ready to face anything.”
France have now reached the semifinals in three consecutive World Cups with Mbappe in the squad and will look to continue that run when they face either Spain or Belgium for a place in the final.
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