France Dominates Morocco to Reach World Cup Semi-Finals
France’s march through this World Cup gathered fresh authority on Thursday night, as Didier Deschamps’ side coolly dismantled Morocco 2-0 to book yet another semi-final place and line up a showdown with either Spain or Belgium.
It was not a whirlwind. It was a stranglehold.
France pressed, probed and waited, trusting their structure and their stars. Morocco resisted for long spells, but the European champions-in-all-but-name squeezed the life out of the contest with a blend of patience and ruthless clarity. By the final whistle, it felt less like a contest and more like a statement.
At the heart of it, again, stood Kylian Mbappe.
Already a World Cup champion in 2018 and a runner-up in 2022, Mbappe cut a striking figure afterwards: a man surrounded by numbers, but driven by something beyond them.
“I was a champion (in 2018) and a World Cup runner-up (in 2022) and this team has not achieved anything yet,” he said. The numbers around him are staggering: 20 goals in 20 World Cup appearances, four of them scored in finals. In this edition alone he sits on eight goals, level with Lionel Messi at the top of the scoring charts.
And yet he refused to dress it up as greatness.
“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.
That is the tension driving this French side. On one hand, a squad brimming with talent, depth and experience. On the other, a brutal internal standard: no medals, no myths.
“It is, however, the one who has the biggest potential,” Mbappe admitted. “There are so many qualities in this squad, it allows you to dream.”
Dreaming comes naturally when you look at France’s World Cup record. They have now reached four of the last seven finals, lifting the trophy in 1998 and 2018, and falling just short in 2006 and 2022. Should they step out in New York on July 19, they will stand shoulder to shoulder with West Germany’s fabled generation, who reached four finals between 1974 and 1990 and set the benchmark for tournament consistency.
France are edging into that same territory: a team you almost expect to be there when the ribbons are tied on the trophy.
Mbappe, though, is not in the mood for nostalgia.
“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.
On current evidence, they are at least moving in that direction. After a group stage in which their defensive line occasionally wobbled, the knockout rounds have been brutally efficient. France have yet to concede in the eliminations, shutting opponents down with a control that starts from the front and runs through the spine.
In midfield, Manu Kone has slipped into a demanding role with impressive composure. Deputising for the injured Aurelien Tchouameni, he brought balance and bite against Morocco, screening the defence and allowing the full-backs and forwards to attack with confidence. It was the kind of understated performance that wins coaches’ trust and tournaments’ turning points.
Up front, the script felt familiar. Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele supplied the goals, the movement, the threat. For all the tactical detail, France’s cutting edge still comes down to two wide forwards who can shred a game in a single sprint.
Their combined haul has put them in rare company. France have become the first World Cup side since Brazil in 2002 to have two players score at least five goals in a single tournament, echoing the exploits of Ronaldo (eight) and Rivaldo (five) when the Seleção claimed their fifth crown.
That Brazilian team finished the job. That is the bar now hanging over this French generation.
Because for all the records, all the semi-finals, all the talk of potential, Mbappe knows the harsh truth of tournament football: history does not remember top scorers as clearly as it remembers trophy lifts.
That is why, for him, the numbers will remain just that — numbers — if France do not at least fight their way into another final.
