France dominates Morocco in World Cup rematch, advances to semifinals

By Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald

FOXBORO, Mass. — Yassine Bounou did everything he could.

The Moroccan goalkeeper stood on his head to keep the vaunted French attack at bay, making three first half saves including a penalty kick to deny superstar striker Kylian Mbappé.

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But in the end, Les Bleus était inévitable.

Facing off in a rematch of the 2022 World Cup semifinal, top ranked France pulled away in the second half of Thursday’s quarterfinal to beat Morocco 2-0 in Foxboro. Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé scored the French goals within a six-minute stretch, capping off a dominant performance that turned what seemed like a compelling matchup on paper into a rout.

If not for Bounou, Morocco could have been chased down Route 1 before halftime.

France had two golden opportunities to pull ahead right out of the chute. In the fourth minute Mbappé had a great chance from the top of the box that Bounou saved and knocked just wide of the post. After the ensuing corner France got another cross into a dangerous area, which was headed on net by Dayot Upamecano but saved by Bounou again.

As the half went on France turned up the pressure and largely kept the ball in Moroccan territory. They had several more attempts on goal before Mbappé got another clean look in the box in the 25th minute and was taken down for a penalty.

Though the call seemed straightforward in real time, the referees stopped the game for more than two minutes to confirm the penalty on review. Eventually VAR confirmed the call, so Mbappé stepped up for what should have been, for him, a layup.

Bounou had other ideas.

The Moroccan goalkeeper held his line on Mbappé’s stutter-step approach and guessed correctly, diving to his left and swallowing up the ball to keep the game scoreless.

Bounou had one more great save to make in the 35th minute when his defense turned the ball over and gave Desire Doue an open run to the net, and luck was on his side two minutes into stoppage time when Lucas Digne fired a blast from outside the box just over his fingers but off the crossbar.

It wasn’t until just before halftime that Morocco finally got its first attempt on goal, drawing a free kick outside the box that team captain Achraf Hakimi sailed wide. By the time the whistle blew France led in every category except the only one that mattered, out-possessing Morocco 50% to 44% (6% in contest) while leading 13-1 in attempts on goal.

But Morocco couldn’t hold France at bay forever.

The dam finally broke in the 60th minute when Mbappé received the ball on the top left corner of the box. Surrounded by three defenders, the 27-year-old Frenchman lined up a perfect strike and curled a ball just inside the right post that no goalkeeper alive could have stopped.

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It was the 20th World Cup goal of Mbappé’s career, one behind Argentinian legend Lionel Messi (21) for most all-time, and it was also his eighth of the tournament, tying Messi atop the Golden Boot leaderboard.

Mbappé is also now the first player in history to score eight or more goals in two different World Cups.

Six minutes later Dembélé delivered the dagger, getting a free run down the middle and unleashing a perfect strike from the edge of the box.

Gillette Stadium — or “Boston Stadium” as it was known for the final time Thursday — has been especially kind to Dembélé, who scored a hat trick during his last visit to Foxboro earlier this tournament against Norway.

With the game well in hand France subbed out Mbappé in the 76th minute, drawing appreciative cheers from the sizable French contingent, and Les Bleus kept Morocco at arm’s length the rest of the way.

France will now advance to its third consecutive World Cup semifinals, where it will face the winner of Spain and Belgium on Tuesday in Dallas.

Free kicks

Former Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown was in attendance for Thursday’s match. The 2024 NBA Champion, who was recently traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, was among several celebrities highlighted on the Jumbotron. Others included Shakira, New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Turner and Antoine Griezmann, a member of France’s 2018 World Cup championship team. … While France dominated on the pitch, Morocco’s fans brought it in the stands with huge swaths of red-clad supporters crowding the stadium’s south end.

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