France are back in the semi-finals, same director, same lead actor, new supporting cast. Three World Cups in a row, one game from a third straight final. But are they unbeatable?
Against Morocco, the echo of Argentina–Egypt was almost on the nose:
– Penalty won by Mbappé, fouled himself, then:
Soft, opened‑up finish.
Bono goes the right way, saves easily.
France’s bench and Kylian both furious at the process: Ref lines him up vs the keeper… then makes him stand and wait while VAR checks a foul that should’ve been a three‑second job.
It sends the classic this might be one of those nights signal. Then, as usual, Mbappé rips the script up and in second half, the sparks finally show:
– He receives ball near the edge of the box. Minimal backlift, maximum shape.
– Gorgeous curling shot into the far corner for his 8th goal of the tournament.
– Same arc as that plotline in Argentina vs Egypt: missed pen, outrageous goal, captain, leader, no stylistic missteps so far this World Cup.
France’s front line did eventually match its reputation, Dembélé, after a very uneven first hour, finishes the job on 66′. Behind them, the structure does its brilliant work:
– Third straight clean sheet in knockouts.
– Deschamps’ 4‑2‑3‑1 looks balanced enough:
Back four rarely scrambled.
Double pivot protecting space.
Enough control to make sure the story stayed about France, not Morocco.
This should have been easier, in first half:
– France: 13 shots to 1. But lots of almosts, little truly clean.
– Morocco’s approach:
– Possession without much construction.
– Keep the ball partly just so France don’t have it.
– Inevitably lose it in dirty zones and live off France’s lack of cutting edge.
Individually, the first hour was underwhelming for France:
– Dembélé losing too many dribbles.
– Olise quieter than expected between the lines.
– Mbappé’s sparks not quite turning into fire until the goal.
Once Mbappé scored, the logic took over:
– Morocco, structurally built to suffer and counter, had to tilt forward in a way they weren’t built for.
– Spaces appeared, belief drained, and the second goal felt inevitable.
The punishment arriving via Dembélé fit the arc: start messy, end decisive. And the bench did the rest:
– Zaïre‑Emery finally getting minutes.
– Barcola chewing up space on the break, teeing up a big chance for Olise.
– France finishing the game with the vibe of a team that knows how to manage knockout minutes, even when it’s not dazzling.
So the picture for France now:
– Third straight World Cup semi-final.
– One game from yet another final.
– A team that:
Has goals in bunches.
Has a defensive block that’s reliable.
Has a superstar captain tracking GOAT’s footprint almost scene‑for‑scene.
But their problems, the flat spells, reliance on individual genius, the choppy attacking rhythm, won’t disappear just because they’re winning.
France are still in the tournament. Every four years, it feels like they always are. The question now is whether this same script, control, moments, Mbappé, is enough when the team they face is more formidable than Morocco.