France-Morocco (2-0): Les Bleus in the semi-finals, the debrief

A Moroccan lock, then the turning point

Morocco came to Boston with a clear plan: to shut down the shop. Low block, tight lines, a 4-2-3-1 lined up behind its water carrier. For one half, the plan held.

France thought they had broken the lock as early as the 28th minute: penalty won, penalty missed by Mbappé. Bounou saves, doubt sets in. Les Bleus push, but hit a disciplined wall and a Moroccan goalkeeper on fire — six saves in total for him.

Then the hour mark changed everything. At the 60th, Mbappé receives on the left side, turns and curls a shot into the far post. A gem. Six minutes later, Dembélé scores the second with a precise shot out of Bounou’s reach. In fifteen minutes, the match turned.

French dominance leaves no room for discussion: 22 shots to 5, and an xG of 3.04 against 0.14 — this indicator measuring the real danger of chances says it all about a one-sided match. Morocco hardly ever troubled Les Bleus.

Manu Koné, the surprise boss of midfield

He is the man of the match. Starting to compensate for Tchouaméni’s injury, Manu Koné delivered a recital: physically dominant, present in every duel, credited with a 7.5, the best rating among Les Bleus. A boss imposed by force at the heart of the game.

Alongside him, Adrien Rabiot (6.5) brought intelligence and reading. Where Koné breaks lines, Rabiot tempers, repositions, secures. The double pivot of Les Bleus never trembled facing Moroccan counter attempts. A perfect balance between muscle and brain.

Mbappé and Dembélé: the stars show up

Kylian Mbappé (7) could have missed his evening after his missed penalty. He did the opposite. A perfect curl, the composure of the greats, and here he is decisive for the eighth time in this World Cup. The captain doesn’t tremble when it counts.

Ousmane Dembélé (6) first simmered, looking for his duel, annoyed by his lack of impact. Then he appeared at the right moment: a surgical shot to kill the match. The mark of players who matter, even on tough nights.

Around them, Didier Deschamps had taken a gamble: launching Désiré Doué on the left wing instead of Barcola, with Michael Olise to animate the right side. Speed, dribbling, youth: the depth of the French bench is dizzying.

Behind, a blue wall — and heading to Dallas

The clean sheet is no accident. In front of Mike Maignan, called upon only once during the evening, the Saliba-Upamecano partnership locked down the center. Upamecano, especially, crushed his duels with his physical presence. On the sides, Koundé and Digne held the fort without exposing themselves.

Result: France heads to the semi-final, on Tuesday, July 14, at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, near Dallas. Opposite, the winner of Spain-Belgium. It would be Les Bleus’ third consecutive semi-final on the world stage. A consistency of champions. The trophy is only two steps away.