France Reaches World Cup Semifinals with Goals from Mbappé and Dembélé

The French men's national football team booked their place in the World Cup semifinals on Thursday with a 2-0 victory over Morocco in Foxborough. Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé scored the goals in the 60th and 66th minutes, respectively.

Mbappé's goal was his 20th in World Cup tournaments, one less than record-holder Lionel Messi. The French striker did not complete the match, as he was substituted in the 77th minute due to an injury.

In the first half, France had a golden opportunity to take the lead when a penalty was awarded after Noussair Mazraoui fouled Mbappé. Mbappé's weak spot kick in the 28th minute was easily saved by Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou. Later, a dangerous shot by Désiré Doué was also parried by Bounou, with the ball rolling past the post. In stoppage time, Lucas Digne struck the crossbar from distance.

France finally broke the deadlock in the second half. In the 60th minute, Mbappé received a pass from Doué and curled the ball into the net from inside the box to make it 1-0. Six minutes later, Mbappé set up Dembélé, who fired a precise shot from longer range to double the lead.

France will now face the winner of the quarter-final between Spain and Belgium in the semifinals. The other semifinal pairings will be determined by the matches between Norway and England, and Argentina and Switzerland.

This World Cup is the first to feature 48 teams, co-hosted by Mexico, the United States, and Canada. The teams are divided into 12 groups, with the top two from each group and the eight best third-placed teams advancing to the knockout stage. In the 2022 tournament in Qatar, Argentina defeated France on penalties to become champions.