When the stars spoke: France defeated Morocco and secured a place in the "4" of the world
Mbappé and Dembélé stepped up to score the goals that send France to the semi-finals.
There are matches that are judged on the details and there are those that wait for a moment of football genius to definitively change their fate. In Boston, France needed patience, perseverance and, above all, the class of its great protagonists to break the resistance of the formidable Morocco. With two goals in six minutes (Mbappé 60', Dembele 66'), the "tricolors" prevailed 2-0 and secured their presence in the semi-finals of the 23rd World Cup, for the third consecutive tournament and eighth overall in their history.
The final score does not fully reflect what happened in the first half. For forty-five minutes, the match had an absolute protagonist and he was not wearing a French jersey. Yacine Bounou put in another great performance, reminding us why he is considered one of the top goalkeepers of the last decade. The experienced Moroccan goalkeeper stopped every French attempt, with the highlight being the penalty save from Kylian Mbappe (28'), keeping the dream of the "Lions of the Atlas" alive. As if that were not enough, he also said "no" to great opportunities from Mbappe and Doué, while he also saw the crossbar save him in the first half after Lucas Digne's effort.
However, the picture could not remain the same forever. France's constant pressure looked like a wave that, sooner or later, would find its way. And when a team has players of the quality of Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele, a moment is enough to upset the balance.
In the 60th minute, the leader of the "tricolor" attack took the ball outside the area and with an excellent right-footed shot sent the ball where even the amazing Bounοu could not reach. It was his 7th goal of the tournament and 20th overall in the final stages of World Cups, a number that confirms that the French superstar continues to make history.
Before Morocco could recover from the shock, the second blow came. Six minutes later,
Mbappe created the situation in exemplary fashion for
Ousmane Dembele, who with a cool finish made it 2-0, effectively ending the Africans' hopes.
Highlights via DasFootball
Morocco tried to fight back, but this time they lacked the attacking inspiration or the strength to come back against a team that managed its lead with maturity. Mohamed Wahbi's players left the tournament with their heads held high, having written another remarkable chapter in the history of African football.
Mbappe said
"I took a knock to the ankle, but I’m fine. At that point, JP (Jean-Philippe Mateta) was in better shape than I was to play the final minutes. The secret to this France team ? There’s only one way to relax, and that’s by winning. Until we’ve done that, we don’t let up. We’re in the semi-finals and we’re very happy, but there’s still a long way to go. We realize that what lies ahead is even tougher than what we’ve been through, but we’re ready to face anything." Kylian Mbappe, France captain
Dembele said
“We’re very happy. We were really focused on this match. This is my third World Cup semi-final with the French team. It’s pure joy, pure pleasure. We’re going to stay focused on what’s coming next. Two or three minutes before my goal, Kylian (Mbappe) told me to stay central. He made a great run that opened up the path for me. I really wanted to get the shot on target and see it go in. I’m happy.” Ousmane Dembele, France forward
Manos Staramopoulos
Journalist and Analyst of International Football and Affairs
Chief Editor English Zone of Discoveryfootball.com
Athens (Greece).
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