France confidently steps into World Cup semi-finals, but Mbappé injured

The French men's national football team secured a spot in the World Cup semi-finals on Thursday. In the quarterfinal match played at Foxboro, France defeated Morocco 2-0 (0-0).

Goals for the French team were scored by Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé. Mbappé has scored 20 goals in World Cup tournaments, one less than record-holder Lionel Messi of Argentina, but with eight goals, both are leaders in this World Cup. However, Mbappé did not play the full match, as he was substituted in the 77th minute due to injury.

In the semi-finals, France will face the winner of the match between Spain and Belgium. The other semi-final pair will be determined in matches where Norway meets England and Argentina faces Switzerland.

France had an opportunity to take the lead after a penalty was awarded for a foul by Noussair Mazraoui on Kylian Mbappé in the latter part of the first half. In the 28th minute, Mbappé failed to convert the penalty, as his weakly struck shot was easily caught by Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.

Later in the half, in one episode, the French intercepted the ball and a dangerous shot was taken by Désiré Doué, but again Bounou was up to the task, with the ball rolling past the goalpost after his save. As stoppage time began, Lucas Digne hit the crossbar with a shot from distance.

In the 60th minute, after a pass from Doué, Mbappé stepped into the penalty area and curled the ball into the net, making it 1-0 for France. Six minutes later, after a pass from Mbappé, Dembélé scored a precise shot from a bit further out, securing the lead for Didier Deschamps' team.

This is the first World Cup tournament featuring 48 teams, and it is taking place in Mexico, the United States, and Canada. The 48 teams are divided into 12 groups. The top two teams from each group, as well as the eight best third-place finishers, advanced to the knockout stages. In the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar, Argentina became champions by defeating France in a penalty shootout.