It lived up to its expectations. France, considered the leading favorite to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup, reached the semifinals after beating the African giant Morocco, thanks to a crucial opening goal from star player Kylian Mbappé. France will now face the winner of the Spain-Belgium match for a place in the World Cup final. Mbappé, with his 8th goal in the competition, tied with Argentina’s Lionel Messi for the top scorer and also achieved a personal milestone of 20 goals in his World Cup career.
France won 2-0 against Morocco in the FIFA World Cup quarterfinals held at Boston Stadium in the U.S. on July 10, with Mbappé scoring the first goal and Ousmane Dembélé netting a decisive goal in the second half. Although Morocco had maintained a 34-game unbeaten record in A matches prior to this match, France showed clear dominance, overcoming Morocco’s solid defense to secure the win.
The initial period was threatening for France. Morocco, choosing a tactical defense, held off France’s attacking efforts, with goalkeeper Yassine Bounou making key saves that defined the match. Just three minutes into the first half, Mbappé took a quick shot from mid-range, but Bounou stopped it. On a following corner kick, a ball delivered from the left was headed by French defender Dayot Upamecano, but Bounou once more prevented the ball from entering the net.
Amid careful tactics and fierce midfield confrontations, the momentum of the match changed considerably in the 24th minute. France intercepted a Moroccan move and made a quick pass to Mbappé, who was alone on the left side of Morocco’s penalty area. Mbappé’s fast run caused a challenge from Noussair Mazraoui, leading the referee to give a penalty. However, the extended VAR check affected Mbappé’s calmness, and his weak penalty shot went to the right, enabling Bounou to save it easily, once more saving Morocco.
In the 34th minute, French left winger Désiré Doué generated a close one-on-one opportunity following a successful ball recovery through aggressive pressing. His composed shot toward the lower left was also expertly blocked by Bounou. France, facing difficulties against Morocco’s deep defensive setup, had an unexpected long-range shot from left-back Lucas Hernández in stoppage time that bounced off the crossbar.
Morocco, without key forward Ismael Saibari because of an injury, did not manage to take a single shot in the first half. The half concluded with a free kick by captain Achraf Hakimi, awarded after a French handball infringement outside the penalty area, which went harmlessly wide.
Morocco tried to gain ground in the second half, but France took control. In the 10th minute, Michael Olise executed a smart move in Morocco’s central zone and passed to Mbappé, who was moving into the open area behind the defense. Mbappé’s shot, however, went well over the goal.
The major development occurred when Mbappé scored in the 15th minute. France passed to Mbappé, who was located outside the penalty area on the left side, and he executed a right-footed shot that went through a tightly packed Moroccan defense, breaking through Bounou’s strong line. This goal was Mbappé’s 8th of the competition, matching his tally with Messi as the leading scorer, and it also made it his 20th goal in World Cup history.
Morocco made changes by bringing on Ayyoub Bouaddi and El Khannouss in place of Soufiane Rahimi and Sofyan Amrabat, adopting a more attacking approach. Nevertheless, France’s powerful midfield restricted Morocco’s ability to take command.
Dembélé increased the advantage in the 21st minute, benefiting from Mbappé’s “gravitational” presence. Olise delivered a pass to Mbappé in the central area, who then played it back to Dembélé before making a run behind the left side of the defense. While Morocco’s defenders focused on tracking Mbappé, Dembélé took advantage of the space on the right-center and struck a right-footed shot into the goal, marking his 5th goal of the competition. Morocco tried to regroup with changes in personnel but had difficulty generating opportunities, often being caught out by France’s quick counterattacks.
In the 30th minute, Mbappé showed signs of pain and fell to the ground due to a minor issue with his right ankle. France brought on Jean-Philippe Mateta as a precaution. Mbappé waved at the spectators and made his way to the bench.
Morocco sought a last-minute equalizer through two free kicks and a corner in the 35th minute, yet France remained composed in defense. By bringing on substitutes Bradley Barcola and Mateta along with Olise, France maintained effective counterattacks, highlighting a “class difference” that halted Morocco’s progress.
Morocco’s late-second-half push was unable to break through France’s strong defense. The squad, hoping to exceed their performance in the 2022 Qatar World Cup semifinals and vie for the 2026 championship, did not succeed in the quarterfinals. Morocco will co-host the 2030 World Cup with Spain and Portugal.
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