France cruise into semi-finals

World Cup winners in 1998 and 2018, France have created another special team and are favourites to win the 2026 competition.

They showed just why they remain the team to beat this year with an impressive 2-0 victory over Morocco on Thursday to become the first nation into the semi-finals.

France have also won the European Championship twice, but has Didier Deschamps, in his final tournament as manager, created the best ever Les Bleus team?

If they lift the trophy on 19 July, they can justify that claim, with former midfielder Patrick Vieira, who played in the 3-0 final win over Brazil in 1998, saying this current crop were on the verge of greatness.

Speaking on ITV Sport, Vieira said: "We're talking about a generation of players and when you look at the squad and the attacking players, it is maybe one of the best, because you have so many players - it is so unbelievable."

France's victory in Boston came with two goals in a six-minute spell in the second half, with Kylian Mbappe's opener quickly followed by a goal from Ballon d'Or holder Ousmane Dembele.

Those goals were the 15th and 16th France have scored in this tournament, more than any other team, although the other three quarter-finals are still to take place.

Mbappe's goal, which came after he had a first-half penalty saved, was his eighth of the tournament – moving him level with Argentina's Lionel Messi as top scorer, although Mbappe is currently leading the race for Golden Boot because he has more assists than the Argentine.

Dembele now has five goals in this tournament, and France are only the second side in the past 50 years to have two players score five or more goals at the same World Cup tournament, after Brazil in 2002 (Ronaldo eight, Rivaldo five).

"France are the best, most skilful, most dangerous attacking team in the tournament," said former Scotland striker Pat Nevin on BBC Radio 5 Live.

"They have more than one [threat]. They have two, three, four that are capable."

 - BBC