Foxborough, July 10 (IANS) France’s leading goal scorer in FIFA World Cup history, Kylian Mbappe, heaped praise on his side’s potential but accepted that they are still not the strongest team after he helped the two-time champions reach their third consecutive semi-final of the tournament with a 2-0 win over Morocco in the quarter-final on Friday.

Mbappe started the match on a poor note as he missed the penalty, but the 27-year-old made a brilliant recovery, netting in the 60th minute to give France the lead. Dembele later doubled their advantage with another goal in the 66th minute, helping the side win the match 2-0.

“I don’t know if it’s the strongest. I was a world champion and a world runner-up, and this team hasn’t achieved that yet. However, it’s undoubtedly the one with the most potential. The one we can envision a future with. There’s a lot of quality in this team; it allows us to dream. But, until proven otherwise, it hasn’t won anything yet. I’ve always said that the strongest teams are the ones that win trophies. That’s not the case for this one yet, so no, it’s not the strongest,” Mbappe said after the match as quoted by L’Equipe.

Mbappe, who became the youngest player to feature in 20 FIFA WC matches and the fastest to reach the milestone of 20 WC goals, said that reaching the third consecutive semi-final is a special moment. Asked about their potential opponent between Belgium and Spain, the Frenchman said he has no preference.

It’s always a great moment. It’s an important step for the team , and for the more experienced players, it’s their third semi-final. Right now, I don’t have a preference for our next opponent, Spain or Belgium. I’m mainly focused on recovering. We’ll watch the match tomorrow. And whatever happens, it will be a chance for redemption for someone.”

With his eighth goal of the ongoing 2026 tournament, Mbappe has now taken his overall World Cup tally to 20 goals in just 20 appearances across three editions (2018, 2022, and 2026), just one goal shy of equalling Messi (21) for the most goals scored in the history of the competition. He will look to bridge the gap in the semi-final.

–IANS

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