Mbappe Equals Messi, Scripts Bizarre & Rare World Cup Feat As France Reach Semis

Last Updated:July 10, 2026, 08:37 IST

Kylian Mbappe joined Lionel Messi in an exclusive World Cup club after scoring and assisting against Morocco, while matching the Argentine's knockout goal contribution record.

Kylian Mbappe added another chapter to his remarkable World Cup legacy on Thursday, producing a goal, an assist and a history-making performance as France defeated Morocco 2-0 to book a place in the FIFA World Cup semi-finals.

Although the French superstar saw an early penalty saved, he responded in emphatic fashion to guide Les Bleus into a third consecutive World Cup last-four appearance.

France will now face either Spain or Belgium for a place in the final.

Rare Feat Achieved

Mbappe’s eventful evening placed him alongside Lionel Messi in one of the rarest statistical clubs in World Cup history.

The France captain became just the fourth player in the last 60 years to score, provide an assist and miss a penalty in the same World Cup match. Messi achieved the feat only days earlier against Egypt, while Ghana’s Asamoah Gyan (2006) and France’s Karim Benzema (2014) are the only other players to accomplish it.

Mbappe initially had the chance to put France ahead in the 25th minute after being fouled by Morocco’s Noussair Mazraoui, but goalkeeper Yassine Bounou guessed correctly to save his penalty following a lengthy VAR review.

The miss barely disrupted his rhythm.

He broke the deadlock in the 60th minute with his eighth goal of the tournament and his 20th overall at the FIFA World Cup. Just six minutes later, Mbappe turned provider, setting up Ousmane Dembele to seal France’s victory.

More Records Fall

Mbappe’s latest display saw him draw level with Messi for the most goal contributions in World Cup knockout matches over the past 60 years, with both now sitting on 14.

The 27-year-old also registered his third career World Cup match featuring both a goal and an assist. Only Messi, with five such performances, has managed more over the last six decades.

His contribution against Morocco also took him to 11 goal involvements at the 2026 World Cup, making him the first player since 1966 to record 10 or more goal contributions in two separate editions of the tournament, having also reached double figures in 2022.

With eight goals, Mbappe now leads the Golden Boot race, edging ahead of Messi on the assist tiebreaker. He also moved within one goal of Messi’s career World Cup tally, sitting on 20 compared to the Argentine’s 21.

France’s victory secured a third straight World Cup semi-final appearance after reaching the last four in 2018, 2022 and now 2026, making Les Bleus only the third nation after Germany and Brazil to achieve the feat.

It also marked France’s eighth World Cup semi-final appearance, drawing level with Brazil for the second-most in tournament history behind Germany’s 12.

About the Author

Siddarth Sriram

After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His...Read More

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