Mbappe Ties Messi’s World Cup Goal Tally as France Blank Morocco 2-0

Kylian Mbappe now sits shoulder-to-shoulder with Lionel Messi at the summit of the tournament scoring charts. The French captain registered his eighth goal of the campaign during Thursday’s 2-0 quarter-final triumph over Morocco.

This strike not only mirrored the Argentine legend’s current output but also pushed the Parisian forward to 20 career goals on football’s biggest stage. He now sits just a single conversion behind Messi on the all-time historic list. At just 27 years old, the attacker cemented his legacy further by matching Hugo Lloris’s national record of 20 appearances in the global competition.

His milestone evening began with a rare setback. Approaching the half-hour mark, Moroccan shot-stopper Yassine Bounou correctly guessed the direction of a spot-kick, denying the superstar his first penalty miss for Les Bleus since the Euro 2020 tournament.

Redemption arrived exactly on the hour. The skipper found his range from the edge of the penalty area, bending a precise effort past the defence. Moments later, Ousmane Dembele exploited the resulting disarray. Capitalising on a surging run from his captain, the winger unleashed a low strike for his fifth goal of the competition, ensuring an upcoming final-four showdown against either Spain or Belgium.

Defensive dominance secures advancement

The defending champions dictated the tempo of this 2022 rematch, securing a third successive shutout in the knockout phases. Full-back Lucas Digne nearly extended the advantage right before the interval, rattling the woodwork from long distance.

Conversely, the North African challengers struggled to penetrate the opposition third. Without sidelined attacker Ismael Saibari, lone frontman Brahim Diaz found himself isolated. The Atlas Lions failed to test the goalkeeper until the closing moments of the fixture.

Manager Didier Deschamps praised his squad’s resilience, especially after withdrawing his star player late on due to an ankle concern.

«That’s three (semi-finals) in a row — it’s good,» Deschamps said. «It seems logical and natural, but you still have to get the job done. It was tricky, the penalty… when it’s Kylian. He never has any doubts.»

He added: «But we’re exactly where we wanted to be. We’re taking another step forward today, finding ourselves in the final four once again. It shows we’re right there in the mix.»

Despite the knock, the goalscorer remained focused on the ultimate prize.

«A mission? I don’t know but we can’t afford to let up,» Mbappe said. «There’s still a long way to go, and what lies ahead is even tougher, but we’ll recover well.»

On the opposing touchline, Mohamed Ouahbi conceded his squad fell short against elite opposition.

«We are very disappointed, we wanted to advance,» Ouahbi said. «We have to recognise that France is a great team with excellent players. France had the better scoring opportunities. We lacked ideas and freshness, and we have to accept this defeat.»

Looking ahead to their 2030 co-hosting duties alongside Spain and Portugal, the manager remained optimistic.

«Today France were stronger but we are able to compete and progress and maybe eliminate them in four years’ time,» Ouahbi said.

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