Deschamps hails Mbappe firepower as France close in on World Cup final

Mbappe broke the deadlock just after the hour mark, making up for an earlier missed penalty, before Ousmane Dembele wrapped up the win as France reached the last four of the World Cup for a third successive tournament.

Deschamps backed his star forward after another decisive performance, saying Mbappe's confidence never wavered despite his penalty miss.

"When it's Kylian, there's no problem. He never doubts himself, even though he had another chance before scoring," Deschamps said.

The France coach also reflected on another impressive World Cup campaign, with his side continuing their remarkable consistency on the biggest stage.

"I think that is three consecutive semi-finals, so that's already a good thing," he said.

"It seems logical and natural, but you still have to achieve it.

"Obviously, I have great players, otherwise we wouldn't get there. It was complicated because today, after missing the penalty, and with the chances we had, we didn't convert."

France will now face either Spain or Belgium in the semi-finals as they chase a place in a third consecutive World Cup final.

"It's great; we're where we wanted to be, so we'll recover well and then we'll see who our opponent is tomorrow," Deschamps said.

Mbappe was replaced late in the match after suffering a knock to his ankle. The forward was later seen applying ice to the injury, although Deschamps did not indicate that the problem was serious.