And just like that, France are into the World Cup semis for the 3rd consecutive time and are looking like the clear favorites to win this. But during the 2-0 win against Morocco, one small moment involving Kylian Mbappe has started to make fans a little nervous.
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“Mbappé raised his hand, dropped to the ground, and called for a substitution,” posted BeSoccer after Mbappe left the game.
Kylian Mbappe suddenly went down during an open play before asking for treatment in the 76th minute. Didier Deschamps immediately replaced him with Jean-Philippe Mateta as France protected their comfortable two-goal advantage and took the game home.
The good news for France was that Mbappe walked off unassisted and smiling, which reassured supporters watching closely. He later watched quietly from the bench with an ice pack on his right ankle.
Levantó la mano Mbappé, se echó al suelo y pidió el cambio
Sale por su propio pie y con una sonrisa, lo que tranquiliza a los seguidores galos pic.twitter.com/qscNyN0Fwa
— BeSoccer (@besoccer_ES) July 9, 2026
Mbappe opened scoring against Morocco with a beautiful strike from the edge of the box despite Yassine Bounou saving his penalty in the first half. With that goal, his World Cup tally is now at 8 goals, and he now has 20 goals in total in the World Cup.
That said, Kylian Mbappe has simply called it a “knock on his ankle,” playing down any serious concerns. Another positive sign is that Mbappe was the leader of victory celebrations on the pitch and inside the locker room.
“I’m all good. I got a knock on the ankle but it’s all good. JP [Mateta] was more able than me to play the last 15 minutes” Mbappé said after the game, per ESPN.
“There are no concerns to have on Kylian’s ankle,” a source further told ESPN.
Still, even in the scenario that this was a bit serious, the Les Bleus wouldn’t have been worried. Because France have done plenty in this World Cup to avoid putting unnecessary pressure on Kylian Mbappe. Deschamps rested him during parts of games before the knockout fixtures. And the other thing that is giving the French fans confidence is the fact that the rest of the attack has also stepped up.
Ousmane Dembélé already has 5 goals and scored again against Morocco only minutes after Mbappe’s opener. Michael Olise has created constant chances, while Bradley Barcola and Désiré Doué continue stretching defenses with dangerous attacking runs.
