This one had a scare built into it before it ever got fun. France came into the quarterfinal as the favorite, and Barstool's gambling crew was fully in on it, but a scoreless first half and a missed spot kick from the sport's biggest star had everyone sweating for a second.
The nerves were real. Deep in the first half, with the game still scoreless, Mbappe stepped up to a penalty that could have blown it open early. The keeper guessed right and stuffed it, and for a stretch it looked like it might be one of those nights where France dominates the ball and has nothing to show for it.
OH MY MBAPPE GETS STOPPED ON THE PENALTY https://t.co/x75IbreiQn
Mintzy's live read on the game captured the vibe in the building perfectly: France was controlling everything except the scoreboard. That's the kind of game that can flip on one bad bounce, and against a Morocco side that had already proven it could grind out results against bigger names, nobody wanted to be the team that couldn't finish its chances.
France dominating but still gotta get one through…. #KingsCup
Then the 60th minute happened. Mbappe collected the ball, cut inside and curled a finish around a defender and into the far corner to snap the deadlock. It wasn't just a goal, it was history: his 20th career World Cup goal, coming in his 20th match at the tournament, which puts him one behind Lionel Messi on the all-time list. He's also now tied with Messi at 8 goals for this summer's Golden Boot race, which is exactly the kind of number Barstool's gambling desk lives for.
MBAPPE WITH THE CURLER! 20TH WORLD CUP GOAL ALL TIME! https://t.co/N9JWFzG5nz
From there France stopped messing around. Ousmane Dembele added a second not long after to put the game away, turning a nervy quarterfinal into a comfortable win and sending France through to the semifinals. The reaction from the Barstool accounts tracking the goal race and the parlay slips was immediate and loud.
DEMBELEEEEEEEEEEEEE! FRANCE IS ROLLIN NOW! https://t.co/aR3xryNSUd
For the gambling side of this, the story is simple: Mbappe at 8 goals with Messi still in the tournament sets up the Golden Boot chase everyone wanted. France now moves on to the semifinals to face the winner of Spain-Belgium, and with the way Mbappe is trending, every futures bet tied to the Golden Boot or a France run just got a lot more interesting.