Kylian Mbappe recovered from having a first-half penalty saved to score a magnificent opener that set France on their way to a 2-0 win over Morocco in their World Cup quarter-final showdown on Thursday.

Mbappe’s weak spot-kick was easily saved by Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, but he made up for that by producing a brilliant curling finish to make it 1-0 on the hour mark.

That was Mbappe’s eighth goal at the tournament, moving him level again with Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot, before he came off late on and watched the final minutes with an ice pack around his right ankle.

Before exiting, he set up Ousmane Dembele to run through and settle the contest watched by 63,811 at the Gillette Stadium, as France knocked Morocco out, just as they did in 2022.

Their 2-0 win four years ago in Qatar came in the semi-finals, and this time the victory for Les Bleus takes them through to the last four. They will face Spain or Belgium in Dallas next Tuesday.

France are looking to reach a third consecutive World Cup final in their last tournament before long-serving coach Didier Deschamps stands down.

Winners in 2018 and runners-up in 2022, it has felt like they have eased through to another semi-final and they were too strong for a Moroccan team lacking firepower in the absence of the injured Ismael Saibari.

Mbappe is one of the greatest goal-scorers of his generation, and the World Cup continues to bring the very best out of him.

After netting braces in the group-stage wins over Senegal and Iraq, as well as the last-32 defeat of Sweden, he got the only goal from the penalty spot against Paraguay in the last round.

He has now scored 20 goals in 20 World Cup appearances, within one goal of Messi’s overall tournament record of 21.

More could have been expected from Morocco, who had more of the crowd behind them but lacked a cutting edge in attack as France kept a third clean sheet in as many knockout games.

Nevertheless, they have plenty of exciting young talents — including former France Under-21 captain Ayyoub Bouaddi in their midfield — and will surely be a force to be reckoned with again when they co-host the next World Cup in 2030 alongside Spain and Portugal.

On Thursday they were just the latest team to find containing Mbappe at a World Cup to be an impossible task.

The Real Madrid star provoked the penalty as he was scythed down in the area by Noussair Mazraoui after a quick breakaway in the 25th minute.

Argentinian referee Facundo Tello immediately pointed to the spot, although a review was needed to rule out a foul on Moroccan captain Achraf Hakimi in the build-up.

Maybe the wait got to Mbappe, whose kick was uncharacteristically weak and easily stopped. It was a reminder that he remains human, just like Messi who has squandered two penalties at this World Cup.

The excellent Bounou frequently kept France at bay in the first half, notably tipping a Desire Doue shot around the post after Bouaddi was robbed of the ball.

Lucas Digne crashed a shot onto the top of the bar from distance as the opening half ended goalless, but France got the reward for their pressure 15 minutes after the restart.

Doue slipped the ball to Mbappe just outside the area, and he controlled before using Issa Diop as a screen to direct a superb strike into the net.

France’s all-time leading marksman now has 64 international goals from 104 appearances.

His lay-off in the 66th minute allowed Dembele to advance on goal and curl a shot low into the same corner, a hand from Bounou proving unable to make it 2-0.

Dembele is the reigning Ballon d’Or and now has five goals at this World Cup, but Mbappe continues to hog the limelight.

The funeral prayers for assassinated supreme leader Ali Khamenei were offered late on Thursday as hundreds of thousands of mourners, braving sweltering heat and calling for revenge, massed in his hometown of Mashhad.

An Israeli strike assassinated Khamenei in late February on the first day of the Middle East war.

Following the funeral prayers, the late supreme leader was laid to rest at the Shrine of Imam Reza, one of the holiest sites in Shia Islam.

Khamenei was buried with his infant granddaughter, son-in-law, daughter and Mojtaba Khamenei’s wife Zahra Haddad Adel, who were all killed in the February 28 strikes.

Earlier, Khamenei’s body was carried by truck slowly through the crammed streets of Mashhad in northeastern Iran towards the gilt dome and minarets of the shrine.

Thousands of people filled the streets of the eastern city. Footage posted by IRNA showed the procession en route to the shrine , where the assassinated leader was buried.

With new hostilities breaking out with the United States even after an accord last month to end the war, at least one fighter jet escorted the plane carrying the late Iranian leader’s coffin to Mashhad.

The burial was the final act in a marathon six days of funeral ceremonies, which have allowed people to pay tribute in Tehran, the clerical hub of Qom and also in Iraq.

Men wore black shirts while women were clad in black chadors, many waving the red flags that symbolise vengeance, AFP correspondents said.

“People here all seek revenge,” said Mohammad Afsharian, 41, a shop owner.

“I don’t know what’s the story with diplomacy and what’s the policy to continue diplomacy but all the people are carrying red flags in a sign of seeking revenge,” he said.

Chants against America

‘There will be blood’

‘Here for our martyred leader’

BAGHDAD: The United States (US) has resumed cash shipments to Iraq after a delay, signalling its support for Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s administration, with the premier expected in Washington later this month, a government spokesperson said Thursday.

Iraq’s revenues from oil exports are largely held at the Federal Reserve Bank in New York, under an arrangement reached after the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled former ruler Saddam Hussein.

Under the system, payments for oil are made into dollar-denominated accounts in the US which are then either used to pay for imports or flow to Iraq as cash.

Earlier this year, Washington suspended the cash transfers to Iraq as it piled pressure on Baghdad to disarm Iran-backed armed groups, which launched hundreds of attacks on US facilities in Iraq during the Middle East war.

Iraqi officials downplayed the issues, saying the dollar shipments had ceased due to the closure of airspace and the security situation.

Government spokesperson Haidar al-Aboudi told AFP that cash “shipments have resumed some time ago”.

“The resumption is a positive indicator” ahead of Zaidi’s visit to Washington, Aboudi said, adding “we look at it through the lens of cooperation, coordination, and partnership.”

Aboudi said that Zaidi’s top priority in Washington would be “the economic partnership with the United States”.

READ MORE: US military carries out fresh strikes on Iran, prompting Iran attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain

In May, a senior US State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the US was looking for “concrete actions” from Zaidi to distance the state from pro-Iran armed groups before resuming cash shipments and security aid to the country.

Zaidi, who only recently took office with the blessing of the United States, has vowed to ensure a state monopoly on weapons and urged armed groups to hand over their weapons to the state.

During his visit to Washington, the first since he took office in April, Zaidi hopes to attract more US investment to Iraq, which urgently needs to revive its economy, especially after revenue losses caused by the halt of oil exports during the Middle East war.

Like other Gulf oil producers, Iraq, a founding member of OPEC, was greatly affected by the war.

It is hugely dependent on oil exports, which make up about 90 percent of its budget revenues, while the vast majority of its crude travels via the Strait of Hormuz.