France 2 Morocco 0: Mbappe scores, misses penalty and suffers injury concern as French breeze to World Cup semi-final

KYLIAN MBAPPE took his Lionel Messi tribute act to the extremes – but still sent France through to the last four. The Real Madrid ace followed Messi in missing with a knockout spot-kick shocker. But just like the Argentine magician, he bounced back with a piece of majesty to kill off the Atlas Lions. Mbappe barely had a yard of space when he received from Desire Doue on the edge of the box, with the Africans appealing in vain for handball just before. The huge frame of Fulham’s Issa Diop meant there was just one place where Mbappe could possibly score his Messi-equalling eighth of the World Cup, the postage stamp of the excellent Yassine Bounou’s net. Yet that was EXACTLY where Mbappe put it, gloriously and unstoppably, a goal worthy of winning a quarter-final. READ MORE ON THE WORLD CUP And when Ousmane Dembele threaded in a second five minutes later – this time Mbappe had the flicked assist – France were headed to a Dallas showdown with Spain or Belgium. In the end, it was comfortable – but only after that moment of doubt. Even the greats are fallible from 12 yards, as we’ve seen already this tournament. Messi has missed two, Harry Kane was lucky to get a second chance against Croatia. Most read in Sport WORLD CUP 2026 FREE BETS AND SIGN UP OFFERS CLICK ON PIC FOR STAR’S PROFILE And 25 miles south of Boston, it was Mbappe who showed the same lack of conviction. To be fair to him, he had to wait 192 seconds from the spot-kick being awarded when he was brought crashing to the ground by Manchester United’s Noussair Mazraoui before taking the kick. There were VAR checks for two potential fouls – neither of them were, with Doue simply nicking the ball off PSG club-mate Achraf Hakimi – and the ball was re-spotted three times. But Mbappe’s tame effort was still little more than a back-pass. Maybe he was spooked by Bounou’s record – he had previously faced eight spot-kicks at the World Cup, including shoot-outs, and only been beaten by two of them. Whatever, it was a simple pick-up for Bounou, who was still a wall for his side. Inside five minutes, he had plunged to his right to keep out a scudder from Mbappe before and then denied Dayot Upamenano’s close-rage header – the Bayern man should have scored. There was another fine low save to prevent Doue’s shot sneaking in at his right-hand post, too, after the penalty stop, while the period ended with Lucas Digne’s swerver flicking the top of the bar. Morocco’s fans brought a sea of red to the Gillette Stadium but they were badly missing their spearhead, injured Munich striker Ismael Saibari, and had offered the square root of absolutely nothing coming forwards. They were slightly more adventurous at the start of the second period, getting bodies forward in support of breaks. Yet at no stage did they really scare Mike Maignan or his back line. It was all too tippy-tappy, very little edge. Not that France were hugely better. Doue curled into Bounou’s midriff, before a brilliant high-speed dribble by Michael Olise ended with Mbappe thrashing wildly off target. Extra-time was beginning to loom. Enter Mbappe, with the Moroccan balloon bursting the instant his shot found the net. If there was any remaining doubt, it was swiftly ended, when Mbappe’s touch and terrific distracting inside run allowed Dembele to scamper forward and use Mazraoui as a screen as he aimed for the keeper’s bottom left corner. Bounou, seeing it late, could only get a hand to help the ball on its way. Not enough and no way back. While Mbappe went off 13 minutes from time, it appeared to just be a precaution as he smiled and clapped the crowd. For France, now it’s the Texas shuffle. They look like a side dancing to World Cup glory. World Cup 2026 - all the info The knockout stages of the World Cup are hotting up as we head towards the business end of the tournament. England believe football might finally be coming home after 60 years of hurt, with Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham on fire. But the likes of France, Spain and Argentina are all serious contenders to go all the way. Heavyweights Germany, Netherlands, Brazil and Portugal have all been knocked out. LATEST NEWS - Expected England starting XI vs Norway as trio of Three Lions stars in battle to be fit for quarter-final - Norway boss DIED for seven mins with family planning funeral before revival - Dan Burn reveals he feels for Henderson’s horror wrist injury - Morocco press conference interrupted as furious row breaks out - England stars cool off with diving comp as fans stunned at how good Burn is KEY INFO - World Cup 2026 full match schedule including kick-off times - World Cup 2026 full squads - World Cup 2026 rule changes - World Cup 2026 prize money VIDEO - Proper Football Daily: Get all the expert analysis each morning - Team Talk – Tactics Exposed: Dive into the tactical talking points TIPS AND BETTING TICKETS If you click a link in this article, we will earn affiliate revenue.