France Secures Semi-Final Spot with Victory Over Morocco

France’s march through this World Cup gathered fresh authority on Thursday night, as Didier Deschamps’ side coolly dismantled Morocco 2-0 to book a semi-final place and a looming showdown with either Spain or Belgium.

It was not a whirlwind. It was a squeeze.

France pressed, probed and waited, trusting their structure and their stars. Morocco resisted for long spells, but the European champions-in-waiting — at least in the eyes of many — never looked rushed. They simply tightened the grip, phase by phase, until the contest bent their way.

At the heart of it all, again, stood Kylian Mbappé.

Already a World Cup champion in 2018 and a runner-up in 2022, Mbappé cut a strikingly unsentimental figure after the final whistle. The records keep tumbling around him — 20 goals in 20 World Cup appearances, four of those in finals, eight more in this edition alone to sit level with Lionel Messi at the top of the scoring charts — but he refused to treat any of it as a destination.

“I was a champion (in 2018) and a World Cup runner-up (in 2022) and this team has not achieved anything yet,” he said, making the point as sharply as he finishes in the box.

Then came the twist. For all the caution, Mbappé knows what he has around him.

“It is, however, the one who has the biggest potential. There are so many qualities in this squad, it allows you to dream.”

Dream, yes. Celebrate, no. Not yet.

The 27-year-old, whose eight goals have powered France’s run while dragging him into another duel with Messi in the record books, refused to indulge any talk of this being the strongest French side of the modern era.

“As far as I know, this squad has not won anything yet. I've always said that the strongest teams were the ones who win trophies. It's not the case for this team yet, so no, it's not the strongest,” he added.

Those words land differently when you look at France’s World Cup history. This is not a side flirting with the big time; it is a nation that lives there. France have reached four of the last seven World Cup finals, lifting the trophy in 1998 and 2018 and falling just short in 2006 and 2022. One more step to the July 19 showpiece in New York, and the comparisons with West Germany — the benchmark tournament machine with four finals between 1974 and 1990 — start to feel less like flattery and more like a cold, statistical truth.

Deschamps’ current group is building its case on a platform that looked shaky in the group stage but has hardened at exactly the right time. France have not conceded in the knockout phase, a run that has repaired some of the doubts that surfaced earlier in the tournament when their back line looked vulnerable and their midfield balance unsettled.

Manu Koné has helped to change that conversation. Thrown into the spotlight to deputise for the injured Aurélien Tchouaméni, the midfielder delivered an impressive display against Morocco, snapping into duels, covering ground and giving France the platform to keep Morocco pinned back. It was the kind of performance that doesn’t dominate highlight reels but quietly wins knockout ties.

Up front, it was a different story — familiar, ruthless, inevitable.

Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé took turns twisting the knife, their goals not only dispatching Morocco but etching this France side into World Cup history. With both forwards now on at least five goals for the tournament, Deschamps’ team became the first World Cup side since Brazil in 2002 to boast two players at that mark. Back then it was Ronaldo, with eight, and Rivaldo, with five. Brazil ended that summer with the trophy in their hands.

The echo is obvious. The outcome is not.

Mbappé, for one, refuses to mistake numbers for medals.

“We know this team's potential. But we have to show it on the pitch. We're confident, but we still have a lot to prove if we want to be considered as an almost unbeatable team,” he said.

That word — “almost” — matters. It speaks to a squad acutely aware of the fine line between dominance and disappointment at this level. France’s route to New York runs through another heavyweight: Spain or Belgium, both capable of exposing any lapse in concentration, any hint of complacency.

France, though, travel with momentum, clean sheets and a frontline tearing through records at the same pace as defences.

If they reach another final, they join the company of West Germany. If they win it, they start to redefine what a tournament dynasty looks like in the modern game.