Mbappe and Dembele take France to semi-finals, Morocco suffers disappointing defeat

 

Mbappe and Dembele take France to semi-finals, Morocco suffers disappointing defeat

 

France confirmed their status as the strongest team in the World Cup with a stunning 2-0 win over African champions Morocco on Thursday and reached their third consecutive semi-final.

Kylian Mbappe scored his eighth goal of the tournament in the 60th minute, before Ousmane Dembele doubled the lead six minutes later to complete an easy victory at Gillette Stadium near Boston, according to French news agency AFP.

The victory sent the 2018 champions into the semi-finals, where they will face either Spain or Belgium at the Dallas Cowboys' AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, next Tuesday.

"I think it's three semi-finals in a row, which is already a good thing," said France coach Didier Deschamps. "It seems logical and natural, but you still have to achieve it. Obviously, I have great players, otherwise we wouldn't be here." Morocco were considered a big threat to France, but Deschamps' team always kept control. Morocco's players did not have a single shot on goal until the 83rd minute, when Azzedine Onahi's long-range shot was saved by France goalkeeper Mike Magnan. France initially struggled to score. Mbappe was awarded a penalty in the 28th minute but Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bonou saved it. Mbappe was awarded the penalty when he was brought down by Nousser Mezrouy, but he had to wait several minutes du

Morocco held out for the first half, but could not hold out long against France's constant pressure. The wait for a goal ended in the 60th minute, when Mbappe curled a stunning right-footed shot past Bono from the edge of the area. Paris Saint-Germain star Dembele sealed the win in the 66th minute, when he powered through midfield and slotted the ball into the bottom corner.

Mbappe, who was later substituted with a minor ankle injury, said it was too early to consider France favourites. "We are in the semi-finals and we are very happy. There is still a long way to go and we know that the next stage will be more difficult, but we are ready."