France had a surprisingly easy 2-0 victory against Morocco, with Mbappé continuing to make history with his World Cup form. Morocco tried to fight back, but the loss of Saibari proved to be too big a blow, leaving them with little attacking threat against the French.
France were likely seen as favorites going into this game; however, Morocco was never expected to be an easy match. France had been offensively running rampant for the majority of this World Cup, with their lowest-scoring game coming against a defensively strong Paraguay in a 1-0 victory where Paraguay allowed almost no chances in the game.
Morocco have also had an impressive World Cup, beating the Netherlands and dominating Canada in a 3-0 victory. Unfortunately, their top goalscorer, Ismael Saibari, suffered an injury during the match against Canada, leaving him out for this quarterfinal against France.
In the first half, France were in control, overwhelming Morocco with shots and pressure while allowing Morocco only one shot. Mbappé even won a penalty but couldn’t convert versus Bounou after a prolonged wait at the penalty spot due to VAR looking at the foul. Despite this domination from France, the score remained 0-0 until the first half ended, but the Moroccans really looked like they were just hanging on.
The second half began with Morocco forcing Mbappé and France to wait once again before play restarted, pausing in the tunnel for whatever reason they may have had. Fifteen minutes into the second half, the inevitable happened and Mbappé scored. A long-distance strike from Mbappé outside the box found the back of the net, putting France up 1-0 in the 65th minute.
Six minutes later, Mbappé passed it to Dembélé, who finished into the bottom right corner, making it 2-0 to France as the game seemed like it was over. Mbappé seemed to have a very slight muscle injury or cramp as he came off shortly after, resting for the semifinals. France continued to dominate the game, getting a few more near-scoring chances, with Morocco having a few as well, but it was not enough for them to unlock the French defense.
The final whistle blew with the score being 2-0 to France, another fairly easy win for Mbappé and the French team. Mbappé now has eight goals and three assists in six World Cup matches, and 20 goals in 20 matches in his World Cup career. France will play the winner of Belgium versus Spain in the semifinals, and they will feel very confident as the favorites in this tournament.
