France became the first team to secure a place in the FIFA World Cup semi-finals with a convincing 2-0 victory over Morocco in a largely one-sided quarter-final encounter.
The French side dominated possession and created the better chances throughout the match, leaving Achraf Hakimi and his Moroccan teammates struggling to contain the reigning champions.
France started brightly, launching wave after wave of attacks but were unable to find an early breakthrough. In the 25th minute, referee Facundo Tello awarded France a penalty after Noussair Mazraoui was judged to have committed a foul inside the box. Following a brief discussion with the assistant referee and a subsequent VAR review, Tello stood by his original decision.
Kylian Mbappe stepped up to take the spot kick, aiming low to the right corner. However, Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou guessed correctly and produced an outstanding diving save to deny the French star.
France continued to press, and in the 32nd minute, young forward Desire Doue produced a fine solo run into the penalty area. His shot towards the left corner was once again brilliantly stopped by Bounou, who kept Morocco level with another excellent save. The first half ended goalless.
The French intensified their attack after the restart and finally broke the deadlock in the 60th minute. Mbappe unleashed a powerful strike from outside the penalty area that beat the Moroccan defence and nestled inside the right side of the net, giving France a deserved lead.
France doubled their advantage in the 71st minute. Receiving a well-weighted pass from Mbappe just outside the box, Ousmane Dembele fired a low effort that slipped past both the defender and goalkeeper before finding the bottom-right corner.
The second goal effectively sealed the contest as France maintained control for the remainder of the match, securing a 2-0 victory and booking their place in the World Cup semi-finals.
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