Is there any stopping France?
In today’s Stat, Viz, Quiz we look back at yet another Kylian Mbappé performance to remember, as he helped his nation reach the final four of the World Cup.
With a 2-0 win over Morocco, in which Mbappé scored, assisted and missed a penalty, France became the first team to progress to the 2026 semi-finals, where they await the winner of tonight’s clash.
That second quarter-final will be between Spain and Belgium, where Rodri will be looking to maintain his good form. The Manchester City man has looked close to his best at the World Cup, and we’ll detail exactly where he’s standing out from the crowd.
As it’s Friday, we have a five-question quiz for you, and our Ask Opta question comes from someone who used to be an analyst for a team that competed at this World Cup.
Enjoy our final SVQ of the week. We’ll be back on Monday for the last week of the 2026 World Cup…
💪 STAT - Twenty’s Plenty
France became the first team to reach the 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-finals with a comfortable 2-0 win over Morocco, with Kylian Mbappé once again at the forefront of their success.
Mbappé may have missed a first-half penalty, seeing his tame effort saved by Yassine Bounou, but he went on to star in the second half. The French captain scored the first with a wonderful effort from just inside the box before assisting Ousmane Dembélé for the second goal.
It was an encounter that saw the number 20 crop up in numerous post-match statistics, with Mbappé a central figure in those, too.
His goal was his 20th at the World Cup, making him just the second man to reach that tally in the history of the competition after Lionel Messi – the only player he trails in the all-time World Cup goalscorer charts.