France dominated the opening half but were frustrated by Morocco goalkeeper Bounou, who denied Mbappe from the penalty spot in the 28th minute after the striker was brought down by Noussair Mazraoui during a counterattack.
Despite creating a series of chances, Didier Deschamps’ side failed to break the deadlock before halftime. Desire Doue, Dayot Upamecano and Lucas Digne all tested Bounou, while Digne also struck the crossbar in first-half stoppage time. Morocco, meanwhile, did not register a shot on target before the interval.
Mbappe eventually found the breakthrough in the 60th minute with a curling strike from the left edge of the box that beat Bounou after cutting inside defender Issa Diop.
The goal lifted Mbappe to the top of the tournament’s Golden Boot standings, ahead of Argentina captain Lionel Messi on assists.
France doubled their lead six minutes later when Dembele drove through the middle and fired low into the corner. Bounou got a hand to the shot but could not keep it out.
Morocco attempted to respond by introducing Sofyan Amrabat, Soufiane Rahimi, Brahim Diaz and Anass Salah-Eddine from the bench, but struggled to create clear opportunities against France’s defense.Their best chance came in the 83rd minute when Azzedine Ounahi’s long-range effort was comfortably saved by goalkeeper Mike Maignan.
France also managed Mbappe’s workload late in the match, replacing him in the 77th minute after he appeared to pick up a knock.
Jean-Philippe Mateta nearly added a third goal in stoppage time, but Bounou blocked his close-range effort with his foot.
The victory sends France into the semifinals, while Morocco’s tournament comes to an end after another meeting between the two nations, following France’s 2-0 win in the semifinals of the 2022 World Cup.
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