Kylian Mbappe says France are staying focused despite reaching the World Cup semi-finals, insisting there is still “a long way to go” after the 2-0 victory over Morocco.
France captain Kylian Mbappe has urged his teammates to remain grounded after Les Bleus booked their place in the FIFA World Cup semi-finals with a convincing 2-0 victory over Morocco on Thursday.
The Real Madrid forward played a decisive role in the quarter-final triumph, recovering from a first-half penalty miss to score France’s opening goal before helping create Ousmane Dembele’s strike that sealed victory at Gillette Stadium near Boston.
Speaking after the match, Mbappe dismissed suggestions that France were on a special mission to reclaim the World Cup, insisting the squad’s only focus is on finishing the job by lifting the trophy.
Kylian Mbappé.#FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/5s5aqeYFkG
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“I don’t know if you can say we are on a mission. That is the easy term to use,” Mbappe told French reporters. “We are aware that the only way to let up is by winning. We are in the semi-finals and we are very pleased, but there is still a long way to go.”
The 27-year-old acknowledged that France’s toughest tests may still lie ahead, adding that the players understand the challenge awaiting them in the final stages of the tournament. He stressed that the team is prepared for whoever stands in their way.
“We are ready to confront everything we come up against,” Mbappe said. “We will recover calmly and watch tomorrow’s game to find out who we will face next.”
Mbappe was substituted late in the second half after taking a knock to his ankle, with Jean-Philippe Mateta replacing him for the closing stages. However, the France captain quickly reassured supporters that the injury is not a cause for concern.
“I’m fine. I took a knock on the ankle, but I’m okay,” he explained. “At that point, JP was more prepared than me to play the final 15 minutes, so I came off.”
🇫🇷 On to the Semi-final.#FIFAWorldCup
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France will now travel to Dallas for Tuesday’s semi-final, where they will face either Spain or Belgium. Les Bleus are chasing a third World Cup title after triumphs in 1998 and 2018, having narrowly missed out on retaining the trophy when they lost the 2022 final to Argentina on penalties.
