07/09/26 07:19:00
Printable Page
07/09 19:17 CDT Kylian Mbapp has a goal and an assist as France beats Morocco
2-0 in the World Cup quarterfinals
Kylian Mbapp has a goal and an assist as France beats Morocco 2-0 in the World
Cup quarterfinals
By KYLE HIGHTOWER
AP Sports Writer
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) --- Kylian Mbapp spread his arms out wide and spun
around after scoring his eighth goal of this year's World Cup. He later gave
the jubilant France fans dotted around the stadium a wave when he left the game
because of an injury scare.
Les Bleus, with a star striker who said he's fine despite a right ankle issue,
are headed back to the semifinals for the third straight World Cup tournament.
Mbapp had a goal and an assist after missing a first-half penalty kick,
Ousmane Dembl also scored and two-time champion France beat Morocco 2-0
Thursday in the quarterfinals.
"There's only one way to relax, and that's by winning. Until we've done that,
we don't let up," Mbapp said. "We're in the semifinals and we're very happy,
but there's still a long way to go."
Mbapp's goal in the 60th minute was the 20th of his World Cup career and came
in his 20th match at the tournament, moving him one behind Argentina captain
Lionel Messi. Dembl scored his fifth goal of the tournament in the 66th.
Mbapp went down to the ground in the 76th minute, about 13 minutes after being
hit hard by a Moroccan defender, and was taken off for a substitute a minute
later. He was then shown sitting on the bench with an ice pack on his right
ankle.
After the match and with both shoes on, Mbapp ran and jumped in celebration
with his teammates.
"I took a knock to the ankle, but I'm fine," Mbapp said. "At that point, JP
(Jean-Philippe Mateta) was in better shape than I was to play the final
minutes."
France will face either Spain or Belgium in the semifinals in Dallas on Tuesday.
France beat Morocco by the same score in the semifinals of the 2022 tournament
in Qatar when the Atlas Lions became the first African team to make it that
far. France now remains on track to become only the third nation to play in the
final of three consecutive World Cups.
"It is a confirmation of how we've played so far," said France coach Didier
Deschamps, who added there is a reason for his team's success in recent World
Cups.
"Having great players. Excellent players. My credit goes to the players. But
maybe I do my job well," he said. "The only truth is the one on the pitch."
Mbapp got his goal with a perfectly placed shot just inside the far post after
Morocco failed to clear the ball. He received the ball just outside the area,
took a couple steps forward and then sent his shot sailing into the net. He
extended both arms and ran to the sideline to celebrate with his teammates.
France's second goal came after Mbapp took a pass and tapped it back for
Dembl. Mbapp kept running forward and took defenders with him, opening space
for Dembl's shot.
Dembl said he wasn't surprised with how Mbapp stepped up after his penalty
miss in the first half.
"He's our captain and he has an incredible mentality," Dembl said. "We're
expecting even more goals from him."
France held a 21-4 advantage in shots on goal and 8-1 edge in shots on target
for the game.
"We are very disappointed. We wanted to go on," Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi
said. "When we had ball possession, our transitions were not great and we had
to run a little more. Their players were in their comfort zone."
Mbapp also had the first shot on goal of the game, just missing wide right in
the fourth minute. Then, in the 25th, he was running up the left side when he
was chopped down in the box by Morocco defender Noussair Mazraoui. Referee
Facundo Tello quickly pointed to the penalty spot.
Mbapp lined up waiting for his attempt but was held up by a lengthy video
review. He was finally cleared to shoot in the 28th minute, but after a
hesitation, Mbapp's shot toward the right corner was corralled by goalkeeper
Yassine Bounou, who guessed the direction of the shot correctly.
Deschamps said the long review also included a review for another foul.
Mbapp made his only other penalty attempt at this year's World Cup in France's
1-0 victory over Paraguay in the round of 16.
Still, France was by far the more active team offensively in the first half,
holding a 13-1 advantage in shots on goal.
Morocco's best opportunity came just before the halftime whistle when Achraf
Hakimi sent a free kick from just outside the box past the right post.
France now has a chance to emulate Brazil and West Germany in reaching three
straight World Cup finals.
"We realize that what lies ahead is even tougher than what we've been through,"
Mbapp said, "but we're ready to face anything."
___
See more of AP's World Cup coverage here
|
