The crowd at Boston's stadium had barely settled into their seats when Kylian Mbappé struck the ball into the net, and just six minutes later, Ousmane Dembélé followed with another goal. France's 2-0 win over Morocco on Thursday sent Les Bleus into the World Cup semi-finals — and left football fans around the world buzzing about whether this might be the greatest French team ever assembled.
The victory was dominant. France fired off 22 shots while Morocco managed just five attempts all game. When Mbappé scored in the second half, it was his eighth goal of the tournament — tying him with Argentina's Lionel Messi as the tournament's top scorer. But Mbappé currently leads the race for the Golden Boot award because he also has more assists than Messi.
Dembélé, who won the Ballon d'Or last year as the world's best player, now has five goals in the competition. France are only the second team in the past 50 years to have two players score five or more goals at the same World Cup, after Brazil achieved the feat back in 2002.
Patrick Vieira, who played for France when they won the World Cup in 1998, said this current squad is "on the verge of greatness." Speaking on ITV Sport, the former Arsenal captain said: "When you look at the attacking players, it is maybe one of the best — because you have so many players, it is so unbelievable."
The team isn't just about Mbappé and Dembélé, either. France's squad includes Bayern Munich's Michael Olisé, Manchester City's Rayan Cherki, and Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, giving coach Didier Deschamps plenty of firepower from the bench too. Former Scotland striker Pat Nevin called France "the best, most skilful, most dangerous attacking team in the tournament."
Deschamps has been manager since 2012, leading France to World Cup victory in 2018 and the final in 2022. He's announced this tournament is his last in charge. If France can beat whoever comes through from Spain or Belgium, they'll face the next hurdle in Dallas on Tuesday.
"I don't see anybody stopping the French team going to the final," Vieira said. With 16 goals scored and just two conceded across six games, France are making a compelling case that this team deserves to be remembered alongside the legends.