France Cruise Past Morocco in World Cup Quarter-Finals
France’s quest for a second consecutive World Cup title has taken a significant step forward with a 2-0 victory over Morocco in the quarter-finals in Boston.
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The match saw Kylian Mbappe’s penalty saved by Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou in the first half, but the French star made amends with a stunning finish to break the deadlock and retake the lead in the Golden Boot race.
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Ousmane Dembele then sealed the victory for France with a low finish that curled through Bounou’s hands and into the bottom corner in the second half.
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Player Ratings
France’s goalkeeper Mike Maignan was untested throughout the match, earning a rating of 6. His defense was solid, with Jules Kounde making some game runs down the right side to stretch the Moroccan defense. William Saliba was typically unflustered, while Dayot Upamecano had a mixed game, might have done better with his header early in the first half, and almost scored a wild own goal in the second.
Lucas Digne was a threat down the left, hitting the bar with a fizzing shot, and Adrien Rabiot was comfortable keeping France ticking in midfield and defensively key, making three interceptions. Manu Kone made some strong challenges to prevent Morocco offering anything on the break.
Ousmane Dembele was instrumental in France’s victory, taking his chance when it came in the second half, albeit with some help from Bounou. Michael Olise had some electric moments, including a clever piece of footwork to set Mbappe through on goal during the second half.
Desire Doue was bright and sharp on the ball but lacked end product, unable to convert his opportunity when driving to the edge of the box in the first half. Kylian Mbappe missed a penalty but made up for it with a beautiful finish, finding the inside of the post with power and precision to break the deadlock.
Morocco’s Player Ratings
Morocco’s goalkeeper Yassine Bounou made a good penalty save among several important stops but made a mistake allowing Dembele’s shot to slide past him. Achraf Hakimi had a decent display, including a feisty battle with his former teammate Mbappe.
Noussair Mazraoui gave away a penalty with a mistimed challenge after falling for Mbappe’s quick feet. Issa Diop was booked in the second half for a rough bodycheck on Mbappe. Anass Salah-Eddine had a difficult assignment at full-back but did okay to keep Dembele relatively quiet.
Ayyoub Bouaddi, the teenager, wasn’t able to show his talent on this occasion. Neil El Aynaoui recorded three tackles and a block, covering plenty of ground. Azzedine Ounahi made a couple of tackles and was the one attempting to get Morocco playing in midfield, even if it was ultimately without much success.
Bilal El Khannouss had a quiet game, and Brahim Diaz was bright but Morocco missed the injured Ismael Saibari to act as a real focal point.
The Moroccan team had some promising moments, but ultimately, they were unable to capitalize on them, and France emerged victorious.
With this win, France has secured a spot in the semi-finals of the World Cup, and they will be looking to build on this momentum as they progress further in the tournament.
