MEXICO CITY, July 5 — Kylian Mbappe scored his seventh goal of the tournament as France joined Morocco in reaching the World Cup quarterfinals on Saturday.
In Houston, Azzedine Ounahi struck twice as Morocco overcame a testing first half to ease past Canada 3-0. The reigning African champion took the lead just after halftime when Ounahi combined with Achraf Hakimi before finishing clinically into the bottom-right corner. Ounahi doubled the advantage by sweeping a first-time effort past Maxime Crepeau after he was set up by Brahim Diaz.Real Madrid midfielder Diaz was again the provider when he spotted Soufiane Rahimi’s run into the box and the striker beat Crepeau with a low finish into the far corner.
Morocco will meet France at Boston Stadium in the quarterfinals on Thursday. “We are no longer a surprise,” Morocco head coach Mohamed Ouahbi said. “Now when people talk about Morocco, we’re a major contender and it’s a great source of pride. I think it’s only the beginning and I hope we continue to have runs like this.” For Canada, it marked an end to a tournament that saw it win its first World Cup match and reach the knockout stage for the first time. “I told them that I was proud of them and I challenged them to understand that we can play like this all the time against the best teams in the world,” head coach Jesse Marsch said. “We can be better on the day. And then the challenge is, can we hold that standard for 90 minutes?”
In Philadelphia, France captain Mbappe extended his prolific scoring form as Les Bleus beat Paraguay 1-0. France went ahead in the 70th minute when Mbappe converted a penalty after Desire Doue was tripped by Gustavo Gomez. Paraguay had less than a third of the possession and managed just one shot on target as it bowed out of the competition. Mbappe is now tied with Argentina captain and former Paris Saint-Germain teammate Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race. “It wasn’t easy. If we’d taken one of our chances late in the game, it would have been a much more comfortable finish,” France manager Didier Deschamps told reporters.
“Paraguay use every trick in the book. It’s not necessarily the kind of football people enjoy watching, but we stayed focused and that’s not easy to do. They’re a physical side and they defend very well. It’s another important step forward. It’s always difficult against South American teams, but I’m delighted that the players got the job done.” Paraguay manager Gustavo Alfaro said his team gave the best possible account of itself and expressed optimism about the future. “We didn’t want to leave. We came so close,” the Argentine told reporters. “We fought with what we had left, with everything we could give. I take satisfaction from knowing that we competed and that we leave with pride.
“If this is the level of commitment, Paraguay can expect great things in the future.”
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