Injury scare for France? ‘I knocked my ankle,’ reveals Kylian Mbappe after reaching World Cup semi-finals

NEW DELHI: Kylian Mbappe bounced back from a rare penalty miss to inspire France to a 2-0 win over Morocco and book a place in the FIFA World Cup semi-finals for the third straight tournament. However, the victory came with concerns for France after Mbappe was forced off in the 77th minute with an ankle injury. The striker later assured fans that the issue was not serious. “I knocked my ankle but I’m fine,” said Mbappé, who was replaced by Jean-Philippe Mateta. “At that point, JP was in better shape than I was to play the last few minutes.

Mbappe recovers from a penalty miss

Mbappe had a disappointing first half when he failed to convert a penalty. Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou guessed the right way to save after Noussair Mazraoui fouled Mbappe in the box in the 28th minute.France coach Didier Deschamps felt a long VAR assessment before the penalty affected his star striker.“Kylian was ready to shoot,” Deschamps said. “I don’t want to make excuses for Kylian, but this was not an easy situation… We have to adapt.”Mbappe made amends in the second half. In the 60th minute, he dribbled into the penalty area and scored his eighth goal of the tournament with a sharp shot into the box.He set up Ousmane Dembele for France’s second goal just six minutes later as the two-time champions sealed their place in the last four, where they will face either Spain or Belgium.

Injury scare for France

France suffered a scare shortly after Mbappe’s goal when Moroccan defender Issa Diop stepped on his ankle in the 63rd minute.Although Mbappe tried to continue, he eventually collapsed in pain and signaled for the bench. After treatment, he was substituted and watched the rest of the game with an ice pack on his right ankle.Deschamps played down concerns after the match.“It’s a slight pain in the ankle,” France coach Didier Deschamps said. “Nothing serious.”

The Golden Boot race is heating up

Mbappe’s goal at the 2026 World Cup took his tally to eight and leveled Argentina captain Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot. Mbappe currently leads because he has more assists, which is a tiebreaker.The goal was also his 20th in just 20 World Cup appearances, leaving him just one behind Messi on 21 goals in total.

Attention shifts to the semi-finals

Despite reaching another World Cup semi-final, Mbappe insisted France are far from satisfied.“There is only one way to relax and that is to win,” said Mbappé. “Until we do, we won’t let up. We’re in the semi-finals and we’re very happy, but there’s still a long way to go. We know what’s ahead is even harder than what we’ve been through, but we’re ready to face anything.”France have now reached the semi-finals of three successive World Cups with Mbappe in the squad and will look to continue that run when they face either Spain or Belgium for a place in the final.