Mbappe Shines with a Goal and Assist as France Reaches Third Consecutive Semifinals

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At the North and Central America World Cup, France defeated Morocco to advance to the semifinals for the third consecutive time, proving why they are considered a favorite to win the title. Kylian Mbappe, who recorded both a goal and an assist, has moved to the top of the tournament's scoring list and set a historic record as the first player to reach double-digit offensive points in two consecutive World Cups.

Reporter Ha Seong-nyong has the story.

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France, which halted Morocco's Cinderella run in the semifinals of the Qatar tournament four years ago, dominated the match once again and earned a chance to score the opening goal in the 28th minute of the first half.

Mbappe stepped up to take the penalty kick he had earned himself, but his shot was blocked by Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, who is known for his exceptional penalty-saving ability.

Bounou, who has now saved four penalty kicks in his World Cup career, tied the record for the most saves in tournament history.

France struggled to break through Bounou's defense afterward, but in the 15th minute of the second half, Mbappe finally made up for his earlier miss.

Receiving a precise pass from Desire Doue that threaded through the defender's legs, Mbappe curled a right-footed shot into the corner of the net from inside the penalty box.

Despite the tight marking by the opposing defense, which left him with a shooting probability of just 5.1 percent, he used his powerful ankle strength to send the ball on a beautiful trajectory into the goal.

With his 8th goal, Mbappe tied Lionel Messi in goals but moved into sole possession of first place in the scoring rankings due to having more assists.

He also recorded his 20th goal in his 20th career World Cup match, closing the gap with top scorer Messi to just one goal, and extended his own record for the most goals in World Cup knockout stage matches to 12.

Six minutes later, Mbappe sealed the victory with another offensive contribution.

During a counterattack, he used a concise touch to assist Ousmane Dembele's additional goal, marking his 3rd assist of the tournament.

Surpassing his performance in the Qatar tournament, where he recorded 8 goals and 2 assists, he has now tallied 8 goals and 3 assists, becoming the first player in history to record double-digit offensive points in two consecutive tournaments.

Mbappe became the 4th player in history to record a goal and an assist after missing a penalty kick in a World Cup match, following Lionel Messi, who achieved the feat two days ago.

Mbappe was substituted in the 32nd minute of the second half due to minor ankle pain, and fans gave him a standing ovation.

France won 2-0, reaching the semifinals in all three World Cups in which Mbappe has participated.

[Mbappe / Captain of the France National Football Team: France is certainly a team aiming for the title, but I have always said that the team that wins is the strong team. Since the (tournament) trophy is not next to me yet, I cannot say this team is currently the strongest.]

France, looking to reclaim the title for the first time in eight years, will face the winner of the Spain-Belgium match in the semifinals.

Reported by Ha Seong-nyong | Video by Lee Seung-hee | Graphics by Lee Jun-ho
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.