Kylian Mbappe bounced back from an early penalty miss to score his eighth goal of the FIFA Club World Cup, helping France secure a convincing victory over Morocco and book their place in the semi-finals.
The Real Madrid forward earned a first-half penalty after being brought down by Morocco defender Noussair Mazraoui. However, Mbappe’s spot-kick lacked power and was comfortably saved by goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.
Despite the setback, Mbappe responded in style just after the hour mark. The French star curled a superb strike into the far corner from the edge of the penalty area in the 60th minute, giving France a deserved breakthrough.
France doubled their lead only six minutes later through Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele. The winger drove confidently at the Morocco defence before firing a low shot that slipped past Bounou, despite the goalkeeper getting a hand to the ball.Mbappe’s latest goal takes his tournament tally to eight, drawing him level with Argentina captain Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot.
However, the France forward currently leads the standings thanks to his superior assist record over his former Paris Saint-Germain teammate.The goal also strengthens Mbappe’s pursuit of the all-time FIFA World Cup scoring record.
The 27-year-old now has 20 World Cup goals, just one behind Messi’s record tally of 21.France, who were beaten by Argentina on penalties in the 2022 FIFA World Cup final, will now face either Spain or Belgium in the semi-finals in Dallas on Tuesday at 20:00 BST as they continue their quest for another major international title.