Key events
Post-match postbag. “Morocco seem to be saving themselves for the second leg” – Niall Mullen
“Morocco world ranking seven? On this insipid performance they are not even in Africa’s top 10. What a way to approach the game: compare and contrast how great they were in the semi against France last time out” – Russell Brady
“Moroccans seemingly gave up after Mbappe scored. Whimper-ish performance from them to be honest” – Farhan
“If you can only muster up an xG of 0.06 by the hour mark of a QF, you only have yourselves to blame. Morocco going down without even a dab of quality today. Shame” – Somto-Gabriel Raphael
“In my very, very amateur experience of playing sports, I would sometimes face a team that was just much, much better than mine. It never felt bad to lose against a side like that, because they were simply playing the game at another level. The thing is, that’s normal for amateurs, but bizarre to see in a match between two high-class national sides” – Kári Tulinius
“Butterier than a croissant, more deadly than the guillotine. Some team, France” – James Humphries
Didier Deschamps smiles broadly. He’s still on track to sign off as a world champion. His team weren’t at their best today, but they didn’t need to be against a strangely subdued Morocco – who, let’s be honest, didn’t turn up – and the class of Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé proved the difference. Mbappé left the field with a sore ankle, and sat on the bench with an icepack on it, but while there’ll no doubt be a standalone rolling news channel set up in France to deal with updates on that, it should be pointed out that he’s just dumped the ice and pulled on his boot so he can go and celebrate with his pals. He doesn’t look in any discomfort as he grins and hugs his way through the squad. Can anyone stop France? It’ll be the turn of either Spain or Belgium to try next.
FULL TIME: France 2-0 Morocco
The tournament favourites are the first team in the semi-finals! They’ll play Spain or Belgium in Arlington next Tuesday.
90 min +5: Yassine tries to beat Maignon from near the halfway line. It’s not a bad effort, but over the bar nonetheless.
90 min +4: Dembele wanders down the right and rolls infield for Mateta, who dummies his way into space on the penalty spot … only to scuff a shot intended for the bottom right. Bounou kicks clear.
90 min +2: Ounahi probes down the left and crosses. Digne slices behind for a corner. France clear the set piece easily enough.
90 min: There will be six additional minutes.
89 min: Mbappe is pictured in the dugout with an icepack on his right ankle. That’ll be from the challenge by Diop on 63 minutes. It wasn’t the best; it could have been more than a booking.
88 min: The resulting corner is swung into the mixer. Mateta wins a header but powers the ball over the bar. It should have been three.
87 min: Gusto comes on for Kounde. Then Barcola skedaddles down the left and looks for the bottom-left corner. Bounou turns around the post.
86 min: Olise, with time and space just inside the Morocco box on the right, tries a curler into the top left. The ball sails gently into the stand.
85 min: That couple of minutes of pressure was the most dangerous Morocco have looked all night. Perhaps they should have moved through the gears earlier. Their last throw of the dice, as Sbai comes on for Talbi.
84 min: Hakimi curls tantalisingly towards the near post. El Aynaoui meets the ball and flashes a header into the side netting. Half the stadium thinks it’s in. The roar quickly subsides.
83 min: The free kick’s half cleared, but then Rabiot skittles Ounahi, 30 yards out. That set piece is worked to Ounahi, who pearls a shot towards the bottom left from distance. Maignan turns around the post. Corner.
82 min: Yassine crosses from the right. Upamecano, who has a mistake in him, stoops to make an uncomfortable hash of a clearing header. The play is switched to the left, where El Ouahdi draws a foul from Kounde. Free kick in a dangerous position, near the corner flag.
80 min: Barcola combines at speed with Olise down the left before sending a low cross-cum-shot through the Moroccan six-yard box. It’s deflected behind for a corner, from which nothing comes. But the clock ticks on, and it’s France’s friend right now.
78 min: … meanwhile Barcola replaces Doue on the left. “As a Dutchwoman it has to be said that our loss to the Moroccans is becoming increasingly embarrassing,” writes Julia Boot. “Where is the supposed brilliant attacking flair that knocked out the great Oranje? I haven’t seen it so far.”
77 min: Mbappe gets up quickly enough, and doesn’t look in too much discomfort as he wanders off. A smile and a Pele-style double-wave to all four corners of the stadium. He’s replaced by Mateta in what is almost certainly a precautionary, no-risk move.
76 min: Mbappe goes down. On come the physios. A worrying moment for France.
74 min: Morocco make a double change, replacing Salah-Eddine and the strangely underwhelming Diaz with El Ouahdi and Yassine.
73 min: Talbi sweeps a cross in from the left. Upamecano slashes wildly at the ball, and slices it behind himself and over the bar. He had no idea what he was doing there. Thankfully for him and France, nothing comes of the corner.
72 min: Morocco stroke it around patiently as France sit back and hold their shape. “The Moroccan approach here is totally baffling,” begins Peter Crosby. “The first half they had zero ambition, and watching them sauntering out for the second half it just looked like they don’t want to be here. In a World Cup quarter final. Bizarre.”
71 min: The game restarts, with France having replaced Kone with Zaire-Emery, making his first appearance at this World Cup.
70 min: “As much as I disliked watching Paraguay, it seems to me that their strategy might be the only possible way of stopping this juggernaut,” suggests Steven Grundy. “France look inevitable.”
68 min … and that’s drinks. Morocco’s turn this half / third quarter, and they come through with some mint green tea and zaalouk, an aubergine and tomato dip. Some choices more isotonic than others.
67 min: Mbappe made some extra time and space for Dembele there, with a dummy run. Bounou won’t be happy with his attempted save, though: the shot wasn’t tucked tight into the corner, and he got a proper hand to it.
GOAL! France 2-0 Morocco (Dembele 66)
Dembele is allowed to advance a long way down the middle of the park. Nobody closes him down. Dembele finally pulls the trigger, threading a low drive into the bottom right from the edge of the D. Bounou gets a hand to it, but can’t keep it out. A quick-fire double whammy that may well have decided this quarter-final.
64 min: That goal now puts Mbappe on top of the Golden Boot table, assists giving him the edge over Lionel Messi. “Not content with merely chasing Messi’s goal record, Mbappé has now gone and done the Messi double of missing a penalty and then scoring in a single match,” notes Kári Tulinius.
63 min: Mbappe prepares to spin clear of Diop and is unceremoniously chopped down by the defender. Diop is booked and will miss the semi-final should Morocco get through.
62 min: Morocco respond to falling behind by making a double change. Amrabat and Rahimi come on for El Khannouss and the disappointing Bouaddi.
