Scare for France: Mbappé leaves pitch with injury, but reassures fans

France secured a 2-0 victory over Morocco on Thursday to advance to the World Cup semifinals, but the win was overshadowed by an injury to star forward Kylian Mbappé, who exited the match in the 77th minute.

Mbappé opened the scoring with a stunning strike—his eighth goal of the tournament and 20th in World Cup finals. However, in the 76th minute, he went down on the turf, showing discomfort in his right ankle after a challenge from a Moroccan defender. Despite France leading 2-0, Mbappé signaled to be substituted, an unusual move for the typically durable superstar who has played full matches in this and the previous World Cup.

He left the pitch without assistance and did not appear to be in significant pain. On the bench, he received ice on his ankle, and after the match, he celebrated the victory actively with his teammates.

"I'm fine. I got a knock on the ankle, but everything is okay. Mateta was better prepared to play the last 15 minutes," Mbappé said after the game. France head coach Didier Deschamps showed little concern: "Kylian had a little pain in his ankle." Deschamps noted that other players also have minor aches due to the intense schedule, and the team is taking it step by step.

France will face the winner of the quarterfinal between Spain and Belgium in the semifinals.