Kylian Mbappé made up for a missed first-half penalty kick with a stunning goal in the 60th minute against Morocco that proved to be the winner, sending France to the FIFA World Cup semifinal.
Before the score, Mbappé was awarded a penalty in the 29th minute after being taken down in the box by Noussair Mazraoui.
The Real Madrid star stepped to the spot, but his attempt was delayed due to a VAR check for a prior foul. Once he got the all-clear, Mbappé sent a poor attempt toward the bottom left corner of the net that was easily stopped by Atlas Lions goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.
But Morocco could only hold Mbappé down for so long as he unleashed an incredible strike with his right foot around a Moroccan defender and into the back of the net from just inside the box.
The goal was Mbappé’s eighth of the tournament, tying him with Argentina star Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race.
Ousmane Dembélé doubled France’s advantage soon after that Mbappé assisted on, putting them on the cusp of the semis. Mbappé was later subbed off in the 76th minute as France closed out the victory.
France will play the winner of Friday’s match between Spain and Belgium in the World Cup semifinal.
