Mbappe's Winning Goal Leads France to Semifinals After Defeating Morocco

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In the North and Central American World Cup, France has defeated Morocco to secure a spot in the semifinals for the third consecutive tournament. Kylian Mbappe, who is aiming for his second consecutive Golden Boot, overcame a missed penalty kick to score the winning goal and lead his team to victory.

Reporter Bae Jeonghun has the story.

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France launched a fierce offensive from the start of the match but could not break through the brilliant saves of Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.

In the 4th minute, Mbappe's sharp shot and Upamecano's header were both denied, and even Mbappe's penalty kick in the 28th minute was safely gathered into the arms of Yassine Bounou.

Despite the frustration of missing a decisive scoring opportunity, it was ultimately Mbappe who opened the tightly sealed Moroccan goal.

In the 15th minute of the second half, after receiving a pass from Doue, he faced a defender and curled a superb right-footed shot into the back of the net.

Overcoming his penalty miss to score his 8th goal of the tournament and move into a tie for the lead in the Golden Boot race, Mbappe celebrated his achievement. He also recorded his 20th career World Cup goal, closing the gap to just one goal behind the leader, Lionel Messi.

Six minutes later, Mbappe provided an assist as he passed to Dembele and then rushed toward the goal, creating space for a shot as Dembele scored the additional goal.

Substituted in the 32nd minute of the second half as a precaution against injury, Mbappe waved to the crowd, responding to the enthusiastic support of the French fans.

France comfortably fended off Morocco's late offensive to secure a 2-0 victory and confirm their place in the semifinals.

[Dembele / France National Team Midfielder: Mbappe is an incredibly amazing player and our captain. I am just happy with his performance, as he has an incredible mentality and never doubts himself. We look forward to him scoring even more goals.]

France will challenge for a spot in the finals for the third consecutive tournament against the winner of the Spain-Belgium match, which takes place tomorrow, July 11.

(Video Editing: Lee Seung-hee)

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