France Star Player Kylian Mbappe Goes Down Against Morocco, Speaks Out on Potential Injury Scare

THE FIRST OF THE EIGHT QUARTER-FINAL matches was played on Thursday, July 9, 2026 between France and Morocco, where France got the upper hand over Morocco with 2-0 as the final result. They became the first team to qualify for the Semi-finals and will look forward to going against either Spain or Belgium later.  

But before the final whistle blew, France’s superstar Kylian Mbappe went down in the 77th minute with a discomfort in his ankle. By the time he went to the dug out, Mbappe had already bagged a goal and an assist. 

Although he missed a penalty earlier before half-time, he looked comfortable and still managed to score after he bent the ball around Diop into the far corner just near inside the box. Right after Mbappe’s screamer Ousmane Dembele came up with a curling low shot into the bottom corner that surely was a nail on the coffin for Morocco.

France Manager Didier Deschamps had Jean-Philippe Mateta ready when he saw that Mbappe won’t be unable to continue. Mateta comes on for replacing Mbappe 13 minutes before full time, from this point they hold their fort tight against the Moroccans.

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In some parts of the game, Mbappe looked a bit off but still continued and contributed to the win for the team. His injury remains unclear and the verdict on it is still underway. After the final whistle, he was cheerful and greeted his fans. 

Mbappe Speaks on His Injury After Win Against Morocco

During the post-match interview, Mbappe cleared the fog on his injury. “I’m Fine! I took a hit to the ankle, but everything’s okay. Mateta was more ready than me to play the last 15 minutes.”

During the first 45 minutes of the game, the match was tight between the two teams and promised a tight contest. Morocco’s Yassine Bounou denied Mbappe the opportunity to go ahead from the spot. Mbappe seemed frustrated since the VAR check took 5 minutes to review the potential foul in the box on Mbappe. 

But it seemed, France entered the match to dominate throughout the match. 

Morocco was unable to find the net and eventually went out of the competition after being denied by France twice in the competition consecutively. They only managed to get one shot on-target out of five shots in total. It made it look like a one-sided match for France.

France will have eyes on Friday’s quarter-final between Spain and Belgium. Belgium gave a sight of hope to their fans in the later stages of the World Cup but they have yet to show up against the big teams. On the other hand Spain has so far not conceded a single goal and is giving the defensive numbers and they could be the match for Mbappe’s France. Remember, France has been unable to capitalize on Spain for a long time. 

Mbappe’s words give out a confident moment for the fans as they await for the official injury update on their marksman. 

[GRT]

(Edited By Harsh Pandey)

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