Didier Deschamps praises Kylian Mbappe for eighth goal as France make World Cup semi-final
France has advanced to the World Cup semi-finals after a victory, with coach Didier Deschamps praising Kylian Mbappe for his eighth goal of the tournament. France is set to face either Spain or Belgium in the next round.
Why it matters
The World Cup is a major global sporting event, and France's performance is a significant development in the 2026 tournament narrative.
Football World Championship Didier Deschamps praises Kylian Mbappe for eighth goal as France make World Cup semi-final Didier Deschamps praises Kylian Mbappe for eighth goal as France make World Cup semi-final AFP French coach Didier Deschamps ODD ANDERSEN / AFP France coach Didier Deschamps paid tribute to forward Kylian Mbappe after he scored his eighth goal of the World Cup to fire Les Bleus into the semi-finals on Thursday.
Mbappe scored on the hour mark against Morocco having earlier had a penalty saved and Ousmane Dembele completed the job as France reached the last four of a World Cup for the third tournament in a row.
" When it's Kylian, there's no problem - he never doubts himself, even though he had another chance before scoring, " Deschamps said.
" I think that is three consecutive semi-finals, so that's already a good thing, " he added.
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