France reinforced their status as the team to beat at the World Cup on Thursday, delivering a clinical 2-0 victory over African champions Morocco at Gillette Stadium near Boston to secure their third consecutive semifinal appearance.

Kylian Mbappe broke the deadlock on the hour mark by curling in his eighth goal of the tournament, before Ousmane Dembele struck six minutes later to seal the result.

The win sends the 2018 champions into the last four, where they will face either Spain or Belgium at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, next Tuesday.

Reflecting on the milestone, France coach Didier Deschamps said, "I think that is three consecutive semi-finals, so that's already a good thing. It seems logical and natural, but you still have to achieve it. Obviously, I have great players, otherwise we wouldn't get there, but it's good."

He also dismissed concerns over Mbappe's earlier penalty miss, adding, "When it's Kylian, there's no problem -- he never doubts himself."

Morocco entered the match as a formidable test, but Deschamps' side maintained control against opponents who managed only a single late shot on target—an 83rd-minute long-range effort from Azzedine Ounahi that goalkeeper Mike Maignan comfortably parried away.

France had earlier squandered a 28th-minute opening when Mbappe saw a penalty saved by Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou following a foul by Noussair Mazraoui and a lengthy VAR review.

However, pressure finally told on the hour when Mbappe bent a precise right-footed shot from the edge of the box past Bounou.
Paris Saint-Germain star Dembele then put the contest out of reach in the 66th minute, driving forward from midfield and drilling a low finish into the bottom corner.

Mbappe, who was substituted late in the game after taking a minor knock to his ankle, remained grounded regarding France's prospects of securing a third World Cup title.

"We are in the semi-finals and we are very pleased. There is still a long way to go and we are aware that what awaits is going to be even harder, but we are ready," Mbappe told reporters.

Elsewhere in the tournament narrative, upcoming quarter-final fixtures loom large. Spain prepare to face Belgium, with Belgium coach Rudi Garcia adopting a defiant stance: "Everyone is already talking about us going home. But we think that we can do it. We think we can pull it off, and we're going to do everything we can to get to the semis."

Meanwhile, defending champions Argentina face Switzerland following a turbulent escape past Egypt that sparked controversy over refereeing bias.

Those complaints were firmly rejected by FIFA referees chief Pierluigi Collina on Thursday. "Nobody can question the integrity of the FIFA World Cup match officials. Nobody can claim that FIFA Refereeing can be influenced by anyone," Collina stated.

On the other side of that bracket, England prepare to square off against Norway, with Norwegian star Erling Haaland shifting the psychological burden onto their opponents: "I think there's some clear favourites out there, England's one of them. I think all of you should put every single pressure on the English lads."

Source: AFP