France demonstrated exactly why they entered the quarter-final as overwhelming favourites, dictating possession from the opening whistle and asserting complete control throughout the first half.

In a departure from what has often characterised their World Cup campaign, Les Bleus suffocated Morocco with an aggressive, well-orchestrated high pressing that denied the African side any sustained spells on the ball. The pressure allowed Didier Deschamps’ men to recover possession quickly and pin Morocco deep inside their own half for long stretches.

Bono was forced into action almost immediately. The Morocco goalkeeper first produced an excellent save to push Mbappe’s strike from the edge of the box behind for a corner before reacting superbly moments later to deny Upamecano from close range after the defender met a dangerous delivery inside the six-yard box.

France appeared destined to take the lead midway through the half when Doue dispossessed Hakimi high up the pitch to launch a swift transition. The move flowed through Olise before Mbappe received the ball in space inside the box. After skipping beyond Mazraoui, the Real Madrid forward was brought down by the Moroccan defender, leaving the Argentine referee with little hesitation in awarding a penalty.

Yet Bono once again emerged as Morocco’s hero. The Al Hilal goalkeeper guessed correctly, diving to his left to keep out Mbappe’s spot-kick and preserve parity in what was already becoming a remarkable individual performance.

France continued to create chances before the interval, with Doue once again capitalising on a turnover high up the pitch before driving into the box and firing a low right-footed effort towards the bottom corner. Bono somehow managed to get down in time, pushing the shot behind for another corner and ensuring the Atlas Lions reached half-time level despite spending much of the opening 45 minutes under relentless French pressure.

The second half followed much the same pattern as the first, with Morocco sitting deep in a compact low block and waiting for opportunities to counter, while Les Bleus continued to dominate possession and dictate the tempo.

Mbappe made amends for his first-half penalty miss in the 60th minute. Receiving the ball on the edge of the box, the Real Madrid forward curled a superb effort into the far corner, leaving Bono with no chance and finally breaking the deadlock.

Morocco had barely recovered from the setback when France struck again five minutes later. A swift transition saw Olise pick out Mbappe, who intelligently laid the ball into the path of Ousmane Dembele. The French winger carried it to the edge of the box before drilling a sublime low finish into the near corner to double France’s lead and effectively put the tie beyond Morocco’s reach.

France will face the winner of the quarter-final between Spain and Belgium on 14th July, with a place in the World Cup final at stake.

Source: https://www.besoccer.com/new/france-secure-convincing-win-over-morocco-to-reach-world-cup-semis-1418745