Too good, too many, too Mbappe: France march into 3rd straight World Cup semi-final

For more than an hour in Boston, France looked almost beatable.

Almost.

Yassine Bounou had locked the door. Every French attack seemed to end with the Moroccan goalkeeper standing in the way, while Kylian Mbappe, of all people, had even left a penalty behind him.

Then, just as they have done so often over the last three World Cups, France found another gear.

Mbappe's stunning strike on the hour finally pierced the Moroccan resistance before Ousmane Dembele doubled the advantage six minutes later, sending Didier Deschamps' men into a third consecutive FIFA World Cup semi-final with a commanding 2-0 victory.

France vs Morocco, FIFA World Cup: HIGHLIGHTS

The final score almost did Morocco a favour. France finished with 20 attempts on goal, struck the crossbar through Lucas Digne, saw Mbappe denied from the spot and forced Bounou into save after save. Morocco, meanwhile, did not seriously test Mike Maignan until the 83rd minute, when Azzedine Ounahi finally drew a comfortable stop from the French goalkeeper.

There was a brief hush around the French supporters when Mbappe went to ground before being substituted in the 77th minute. But the captain walked off without any visible discomfort, raising both arms to acknowledge the crowd as he headed towards the bench, suggesting there was little to worry about ahead of Tuesday's semi-final in Arlington against either Spain or Belgium.

This France side has evolved beyond being "Mbappe and ten others". The superstar remains the headline, but around him sits arguably the deepest and most complete squad left in this World Cup. They can dominate possession, suffocate teams without the ball, change their attacking shape midway through a game and, when all else fails, hand the ball to the world's most devastating forward.

Winners in 2018, runners-up in 2022 and now back in the final four once again, Les Bleus are beginning to look less like contenders and more like the team everyone else is trying to catch.

MOROCCO MISSED THEIR FINAL MAN

Morocco arrived carrying the hopes of a continent once again. Four years after becoming the first African nation to reach a World Cup semi-final, they had pieced together another memorable campaign, knocking out the Netherlands on penalties before brushing aside Canada to book a reunion with France.

For long spells, they were far from outplayed.

Brahim Diaz drifted into clever pockets, Azzedine Ounahi began pulling the strings after the restart and Achraf Hakimi continued to surge down the right whenever space opened up. Morocco carried the ball into dangerous areas with confidence, particularly in the second half, but almost every move ended one pass too early or one touch too late.

That missing final touch had a name: Ismael Saibari.

The Bayern Munich forward, who had scored in all three group-stage matches before suffering a hamstring injury against Canada, was sorely missed. Without their most clinical finisher, Morocco lacked the one player capable of turning promising attacks into genuine danger.

It was telling that Maignan remained virtually untested until the closing stages. Morocco had not been poor. They simply lacked the cutting edge needed against a defence that has given opponents precious little throughout the tournament.

FRANCE ARE THE TEAM TO BEAT

If Morocco exposed one weakness, France spent 90 minutes showing they have almost none.

Even Mbappe's missed penalty barely changed the mood. France simply reset and came again. Dayot Upamecano should have scored inside five minutes. Desire Doue repeatedly found pockets of space. Michael Olise drifted effortlessly between the lines, while Digne came within inches of producing one of the goals of the tournament when his dipping effort crashed off the crossbar.

By half-time, the statistics told their own story. France had managed 10 shots without reply and accumulated an expected goals figure of 1.87, the highest first-half xG by any side that failed to score in a World Cup match this tournament.

Yet there was never any sense of panic.

Great teams do not always blow opponents away from the opening whistle. Sometimes they simply squeeze the life out of a contest until resistance finally gives way. France did exactly that.

Once Jean-Philippe Mateta replaced Mbappe, Didier Deschamps' side effortlessly switched gears. Earlier, every attack revolved around Mbappe's movement between the lines. With Mateta leading the line, France immediately stretched Morocco, working the ball wide and delivering earlier crosses into the box. Bradley Barcola injected fresh pace from the bench, while Aurelien Tchouameni remained in reserve despite returning from injury.

That tactical flexibility is what separates this France side from the rest.

Morocco have been one of the most resilient teams across the last two World Cups. They became Africa's first semi-finalists in Qatar and once again reached the last eight after eliminating heavyweight opposition. France, however, never looked stretched. They simply absorbed Morocco's best moments before taking complete control when it mattered.

GAME ENDS WHEN MBAPPE DECIDES IT

His biggest chance came from the penalty spot after Michael Olise's through ball forced Noussair Mazraoui into a clumsy challenge.

The penalty itself came after an unusually long delay. The kick was delayed for more than three minutes as Argentine referee Facundo Tello sorted things out with a VAR check.

The wait was enough to get social media buzzing. An Argentine referee, France, Mbappe and a World Cup knockout tie was all the fuel the keyboard warriors needed.

In the end, there was no drama, just a tame penalty and another outstanding save from Bounou.

Then, in the space of a heartbeat, Mbappe reminded everyone why the world's biggest stages seem to belong to him.

Collecting the ball just outside the penalty area, he shifted onto his right foot and whipped a sublime curling strike beyond Bounou into the far corner. The goalkeeper who had frustrated France all evening finally had no answer.

Six minutes later, Mbappe was at it again.

His intelligent run into the left channel dragged Morocco's defenders with him, opening up the space Dembele needed to curl home France's second. One moment of brilliance became two, and the contest was effectively over.

The records are now beginning to pile up almost as quickly as the goals.

Mbappe's strike was his eighth of the tournament, drawing him level with Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot, although Erling Haaland and Harry Kane remain close behind with the quarter-finals still to conclude. It also took the France captain to 20 World Cup goals, extending his record as his country's all-time leading scorer at the finals after surpassing Just Fontaine earlier in the tournament.

He also became the first player since 1966 to score eight or more goals in two different World Cups and now boasts 13 goal involvements in World Cup knockout matches, with only Messi registering more over the past six decades.

But perhaps Boston's biggest takeaway was not another Mbappe milestone.

It was the frightening completeness of this French team.

They no longer need Mbappe to drag them through difficult nights. They simply keep control of the game until he decides it is time to end it.

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