Mbappé and Dembélé send a perfect France into the semis as Morocco's run ends

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France reached the World Cup semi-finals with a commanding 2-0 win over Morocco, Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé scoring within six minutes of each other early in the second half. According to ESPN, Mbappé struck in the 60th minute and set up Dembélé soon after, having earlier missed a first-half penalty, in a display France dominated by a wide margin on chances.

The result kept France perfect, the only side to win all six of their matches in normal time, per the match coverage, and ended Morocco's bid to become the first African team to reach a second consecutive World Cup semi-final.

France now await the winner of Spain against Belgium in the last four, with the remaining quarter-finals to follow — Spain vs Belgium and Norway vs England on July 10, and Argentina vs Switzerland on July 11.

Transfer and squad notes

Mbappé's goal took him to eight for the tournament and, with more assists than Lionel Messi on the same total, moved him to the front of the Golden Boot race, according to Olympics.com. The forward, however, limped off late with an ice pack on his ankle, an immediate fitness concern for France before the semi-final, per NBC News.

France also had positive news in Michael Olise, who avoided a booking that would have ruled him out and will be available for the semi-final, according to Fox Sports; Morocco, meanwhile, exit as the tournament's standout African side.

What it means for the league

France look the team to beat, unbeaten and ruthless, but Mbappé's ankle now shadows their run just as the stakes rise. Morocco's departure removes one of the competition's defining underdog stories, leaving a last-four picture that still hinges on the remaining quarter-finals. With Spain, Belgium, Norway, England, Argentina and Switzerland still to play, France's semi-final opponent — and the shape of the final four — will become clear over the next two days.