Victory over Morocco: Bayern Stars Olise and Upamecano Advance to World Cup Semifinals | OneFootball

France has reached the World Cup semifinals. In their 2-0 victory over Morocco, two Bayern Munich stars—Michael Olise and Dayot Upamecano—were once again in the spotlight.

France’s dream of a third World Cup title lives on. On Thursday evening, the Équipe Tricolore defeated Morocco 2-0 in the quarterfinals and is now among the final four teams in the tournament.

From FC Bayern’s perspective, this is particularly encouraging: Michael Olise and Dayot Upamecano were once again part of head coach Didier Deschamps’ starting lineup and can continue to dream of the World Cup title.

Olise once again a key asset, Upamecano solid defensively

Olise, in particular, repeatedly created dangerous opportunities in France’s attacking play. As usual, the 24-year-old was constantly on the move, regularly seeking one-on-one situations and causing problems for the Moroccan defense time and again.

Upamecano also delivered a convincing performance at center back. The Bayern Munich player had an early chance to put France ahead, but his close-range header was off target (4th minute). Defensively, the 26-year-old was virtually impenetrable and played a key role in ensuring that Morocco rarely posed a threat in front of the French goal.

Photo: IMAGO

Despite their clear dominance, the French had to wait a long time for the opening goal. Kylian Mbappé initially missed a penalty kick saved by Morocco’s goalkeeper Yassine Bounou (28th minute), but made up for his miss an hour into the game with a spectacular long-range shot (60th minute). Just six minutes later, Ousmane Dembélé made it 2–0, effectively sealing the victory.

For Bayern’s new signing Ismael Saibari, however, the quarterfinal came too soon. The Moroccan international had to sit out once again due to a muscle injury and was unable to help his team.

In the semifinals on Tuesday, France will face either Spain or Belgium. For Olise and Upamecano, the dream of a World Cup title remains alive.