Didier Deschamps praised Kylian Mbappe’s resilience after the forward scored his eighth goal of the World Cup to help France beat Morocco 2-0 and reach the semi-finals.
France head coach Didier Deschamps praised Kylian Mbappe’s character after the forward recovered from a missed penalty to inspire Les Bleus to a 2-0 victory over Morocco and a place in the FIFA World Cup semi-finals.
Mbappe broke the deadlock just after the hour mark with his eighth goal of the tournament before Ousmane Dembele sealed the win, sending France into the last four of the World Cup for a third consecutive edition.
Kylian Mbappé.#FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/5s5aqeYFkG
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) July 9, 2026
Deschamps highlighted Mbappe’s mentality after the Real Madrid star shrugged off the disappointment of seeing his first-half penalty saved to produce another decisive moment when his team needed it most.
“When it’s Kylian, there’s no problem. He never doubts himself, even though he had another chance before scoring,” Deschamps said after the match, praising the captain’s confidence and composure.
The France boss also reflected on his side’s remarkable consistency on the world stage, admitting that reaching three successive World Cup semi-finals should never be taken for granted despite the quality within his squad.
“I think that is three consecutive semi-finals, so that’s already a good thing,” he said. “It seems logical and natural, but you still have to achieve it. Obviously, I have great players, otherwise we wouldn’t get there, but today was complicated because after missing the penalty, we didn’t take some other chances either.”
France will now turn their attention to the semi-finals, where they will face either Spain or Belgium for a place in yet another World Cup final.
Deschamps said the focus would now shift to recovery before preparing for whichever opponent emerges.
🇫🇷 On to the Semi-final.#FIFAWorldCup
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) July 10, 2026
The French manager also revealed that Mbappe’s late substitution was purely precautionary after the striker suffered a knock to his ankle during the closing stages.
The forward was later seen applying ice to the affected area, although there was no immediate indication that the injury would threaten his availability for the semi-final.
