Advertisement
World Cup: Mbappe lays out France’s ambitions as Les Bleus storm semis
10th July, 2026 10:44 AM
Kylian Mbappe has laid down the ambition of the France national team, asserting that Les Bleus will stop at nothing in their quest to clinch the 2026 World Cup crown.
The French talisman was once again the star of the match as he overcame a first-half penalty miss to lead France into a third successive World Cup semi-final with a 2-0 win over Morocco.
He delivered a sublime curler to beat Yacine Bounou for his eighth goal of the finals before turning provider to Ousmane Dembele a moment later for the French dominant victory.
Winning it
An elated skipper spoke about his team’s secrets and motivation that has kept them going and firing in the tournament afterwards
“The secret to this France team? There is only one way to relax, and that is by winning. Until we have done that, we don’t let up. We are in the semi-finals, and we are very happy, but there’s still a long way to go. We realise that what lies ahead is even tougher than what we’ve been through, but we are ready to face anything,” he said in an interview with FIFA.
Mbappe further allayed fears of a possible injury that could keep him out of the next game as France awaits the winner of the Friday, July 10, 2026, quarterfinal clash pitting Spain against Belgium.
“I took a knock to the ankle, but I’m fine. At that point, JP [Jean-Philippe Mateta] was in better shape than I was to play the final minutes,” he explained.
His remarks come after his coach, Didier Deschamps, also lauded the victory as a major hurdle overcome in their quest to reclaim the global title.
‘Where we want to be’
Deschamps, who led France to the 2018 crown, confidently asserted that his charges are firmly where they ought to be after the victory against Morocco.
“It is good; it was a tough match. Today, we missed a penalty and failed to convert some chances. With Kylian [Mbappe], there’s no issue; he never doubts himself, even though he had a chance before he scored. We are exactly where we wanted to be,” he explained.
France, who secured their third successive semi-final berth on the global stage, now await the winner of the Belgium vs. Spain clash. The European rivals face off this Friday, July 10, 2026, at 11:00 pm.
