Stepped on by Issa Diop just after the hour, Mbappé battled on until the 76th before limping off with ice strapped to his right ankle. Deschamps called it 'a slight pain, nothing serious' and expects him fit — but with under five days to the semi, France's whole tournament may hinge on that ankle.

France's spot-kick came after Mazraoui fouled Mbappé, then a long VAR check left him standing over the ball for minutes. His stutter-stepped effort was tame and Bounou guessed left to save it — reviving the debate over whether Mbappé should still be France's designated penalty taker.

He answered in the best way: a curling 60th-minute opener — his eighth of the tournament — and the assist for Dembélé six minutes later. The podcast question: does the redemption wipe out the miss, or does a skied knockout penalty stay on the ledger?

For all the pre-match hype around Regragui's side, Morocco managed just 5 shots and 1 on target to France's 22 and 8. Without Ismael Saibari leading the line they barely threatened — a quarter-final whimper drawing criticism back home.

Mbappé's goal moved him clear at the top of the Golden Boot race, and France book a third consecutive World Cup semifinal. The dynasty question is back on the table: are these Les Bleus the team to beat?