France moved a step closer to another FIFA World Cup triumph after booking their place in the semi-finals with an impressive 2-0 victory over Morocco, reinforcing their status as favourites to lift the trophy.
Champions in 1998 and 2018, Les Bleus are now chasing a third World Cup title, while head coach Didier Deschamps hopes to conclude his tenure by adding another triumph to his remarkable record.
Their latest victory in Boston underlined why many consider France the strongest side remaining in the competition. Goals from Kylian Mbappé and Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé within six minutes of each other in the second half secured a comfortable win and sent the French into the last four.
Should France go on to win the tournament on 19 July, many believe this squad could rank among the finest in the nation’s history. Former France midfielder Patrick Vieira, a member of the side that won the 1998 World Cup, believes the current generation possesses exceptional attacking quality.
Speaking to ITV Sport, Vieira said the depth of talent available to Deschamps makes this one of the country’s greatest teams, describing the array of attacking options as “unbelievable.”
France’s two goals against Morocco took their tournament tally to 16—the highest of any nation so far despite three quarter-final ties still to be played.
Mbappé’s strike came after the captain had seen an earlier penalty saved and was his eighth goal of the tournament. The Real Madrid forward is now level with Argentina’s Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot but currently leads the standings thanks to a superior number of assists.
Dembélé’s goal took his tally to five for the tournament, making France only the second nation in the past five decades to have two players score at least five goals at the same World Cup. The only other team to achieve the feat was Brazil in 2002, when Ronaldo finished with eight goals and Rivaldo added five.
Former Scotland forward Pat Nevin described France as the tournament’s most complete attacking side, praising the wealth of offensive talent at Deschamps’ disposal and arguing that their threat extends far beyond one or two individuals.
