SOCCER: Mbappe leads France to comfortable 2-0 win over Morocco

FOXBOROUGH, Massachusetts — France advanced to the FIFA World Cup semifinals after defeating Morocco 2-0 on Thursday, with captain Kylian Mbappe leading the way by scoring his eighth goal of the tournament.

Mbappe opened the scoring in the 60th minute with a curling shot from just inside the penalty area. Ousmane Dembele extended France's lead six minutes later with a low strike to secure the victory.

Mbappe also had the chance to score earlier in the match, but his penalty attempt in the 28th minute was saved by Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.

The 27-year-old forward has now scored 20 goals in 20 FIFA World Cup finals appearances. He is tied with Lionel Messi in the scoring race at this year's tournament and is one goal behind the Argentine on the competition's all-time scoring list.

With the win, France moves into the semifinals, where it will face either Spain or Belgium as it seeks to reach a third consecutive FIFA World Cup final. -Reporting by Julien Pretot, editing by Ed Osmond/Reuters