Mbappe netted a goal and assisted Ousmane Dembélé for the second, as France outperformed Morocco to keep their hopes of back-to-back World Cup titles alive.
“Winning is the only way to relax. Until then, we won’t ease up,” Mbappé stated after the game.
“We’re in the semifinals and very pleased, but there’s still a long journey ahead.”
The France captain’s goal in the 60th minute marked his 20th World Cup goal in merely 20 appearances, now just one behind Argentina’s Lionel Messi on the tournament’s all-time scoring list.
Dembele confirmed the win six minutes later following Mbappe’s clever run that drew defenders away, allowing him to set up his teammate.
Earlier, Mbappé had a penalty saved by Morocco’s goalkeeper Yassine Bounou after a lengthy VAR review, but this setback did not diminish France’s dominance.
The 27-year-old momentarily raised concerns when he limped off in the 77th minute after a tough challenge, but soon alleviated worries about his condition.
“I took a hit to the ankle, but I’m okay,” Mbappé remarked.
France’s coach Didier Deschamps praised the team’s consistency as they inch closer to retaining the trophy.
“It reaffirms how we’ve performed thus far,” Deschamps noted.
“The credit goes to the players, though perhaps I do my job well. The only truth lies on the pitch.”
France dominated the match, finishing with a 21-4 advantage in shots, limiting Morocco to very few clear chances.
Morocco’s coach Mohamed Ouahbi admitted his team found it challenging to pose a threat to the two-time world champions.
“We are really disappointed. We wanted to advance. Our transitions were not smooth when we had possession, and we had to push harder. Their players were comfortable,” he said.
France will meet either Spain or Belgium in the semi-finals in Dallas as they aim to become only the third nation, after Brazil and West Germany, to reach three consecutive World Cup finals.
