Mbappe, Dembele Fire France Into World Cup Semi-finals After Victory Over Morocco

Thursday, July 9

France 2-0 Morocco

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Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele were on target as France defeated Morocco 2-0 to secure a place in the semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup.

In the quarter-final clash played at Gillette Stadium on Thursday evening, France produced a dominant display to become the first nation to book a place in the last four.

France started the match brightly and showed attacking intent from the opening whistle. Their early pressure paid off in the 28th minute when Kylian Mbappe won a penalty after being fouled by Noussair Mazraoui inside the box.

The French captain stepped up to take the spot-kick, but his effort lacked conviction and was comfortably saved by goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, ensuring the two sides went into the halftime break level at 0-0.

France eventually broke the deadlock in the 60th minute through Mbappe.

The forward received a pass from Désiré Doué inside the penalty area before unleashing a powerful curling effort that beat Bounou and found the back of the net.

The goal was Mbappe’s eighth of the tournament in six matches, drawing him level with Lionel Messi at the top of the scoring charts, although the Argentine captain is yet to play his quarter-final match.

Just six minutes later, France doubled their advantage through Ousmane Dembele. The winger calmly finished from inside the box after being set up by Mbappe, giving Les Bleus complete control of the contest.

Mbappe, who has arguably been the tournament’s standout performer, was later substituted after showing signs of discomfort, with Philippe Mateta coming on in his place as France opted not to take any risks.

Substitute Bradley Barcola nearly added a third goal late in the match, but his effort from a tight angle was well saved by Bounou with three minutes remaining.

Morocco’s elimination means Africa no longer has any representatives left in the competition.

France will now face the winner of the quarter-final between Spain and Belgium in the semi-finals.

Meanwhile, Spain and Belgium are set to meet on Friday evening for a place in the last four.

The other quarter-final fixtures will see Norway take on England, while reigning world champions Argentina face Switzerland, with both matches scheduled for Sunday.