France secured their place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-finals on Thursday with a 2-0 victory over Morocco in their quarter-final clash at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Kylian Mbappé opened the scoring in the 60th minute before Ousmane Dembélé doubled Les Bleus’ advantage six minutes later, ending Morocco’s spirited run and keeping France on course for a third World Cup triumph.
Mbappé made amends for a missed first-half penalty with a moment of brilliance after the break. His tame spot-kick was comfortably saved by Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, but the France captain responded in style, curling a superb finish into the net to put his side ahead on the hour mark.
The goal was Mbappé’s eighth of the tournament, moving him level with Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot. He later departed after picking up a knock and watched the closing stages from the bench with an ice pack strapped around his right ankle.
Before leaving the field, Mbappé played a decisive role in sealing the result, setting up Dembélé to race through and finish the contest in front of 63,811 spectators at Gillette Stadium. The victory saw France eliminate Morocco at this stage once again, repeating their 2022 World Cup semi-final success over the North Africans.
This time, however, the win sends Didier Deschamps’ side into the last four, where they will face either Spain or Belgium in Dallas next Tuesday.
France are aiming to reach a third consecutive World Cup final in what will be Deschamps’ final tournament as head coach. The former midfielder has guided the team to glory in 2018 and a runners-up finish in 2022, and his side once again looks well positioned for another deep run.
They have progressed through the tournament with relative efficiency and proved too strong for a Morocco team missing attacking spark due to the absence of injured forward Ismael Saibari.
Mbappé continues to underline his status as one of the greatest goal-scorers of his generation, with the World Cup stage bringing out the best in him. After scoring braces against Senegal and Iraq in the group stage and adding another two-goal performance against Sweden in the last 32, he scored the decisive penalty in France’s previous-round win over Paraguay.
He has now scored 20 goals in 20 World Cup appearances, moving within one goal of Messi’s all-time tournament record of 21.
Morocco, backed by a passionate crowd, created moments of danger but lacked the finishing quality needed to trouble France consistently. Les Bleus recorded their third consecutive clean sheet in the knockout stages and maintained their defensive solidity.
Dembélé adds the finishing touch
Despite the defeat, Morocco’s impressive young squad showed plenty of promise. Their midfield, including former France Under-21 captain Ayyoub Bouaddi, contains exciting talent, and the team is expected to remain a major force when they co-host the 2030 World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal.
On Thursday, though, they became the latest side unable to find a solution to the challenge of stopping Mbappé at a World Cup.
The Real Madrid forward earned France’s penalty in the 25th minute after being brought down in the box by Noussair Mazraoui following a rapid counterattack. Argentine referee Facundo Tello immediately pointed to the spot, with a VAR review confirming there was no foul on Moroccan captain Achraf Hakimi in the build-up.
The delay appeared to affect Mbappé, whose normally reliable penalty lacked power and direction, allowing Bounou to make a straightforward save.
It was a rare reminder of Mbappé’s vulnerability — much like Messi, who has also missed two penalties at this tournament.
Bounou was outstanding throughout the first half, repeatedly denying France. His best stop came when he pushed a Désiré Doué effort around the post after Bouaddi had lost possession in midfield.
Lucas Digne struck the crossbar from long range as France continued to press, but their persistence was rewarded 15 minutes after half-time.
Doué slipped the ball to Mbappé just outside the penalty area, and the forward controlled it before using Issa Diop as a screen and guiding a brilliant curling strike into the corner.
France’s record goalscorer now has 64 international goals in 104 appearances.
Six minutes later, Mbappé turned provider. His pass released Dembélé, who advanced into the area and fired a low shot into the same corner, with Bounou unable to keep it out despite getting a hand to the effort.
The reigning Ballon d’Or winner now has five goals at this World Cup, but once again the spotlight belonged to Mbappé.
AFP
