Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé fire France into World Cup semifinals with win over Morocco

For the 2nd consecutive World Cup, France has sent Morocco location with a 2-0 victory.

In 2022, it was a historical semifinal, arsenic Morocco became the first-ever African squad to scope that signifier of the tournament. But France defeated them to scope the World Cup Final successful Qatar.

Four years later, past repeated itself successful the quarterfinals, arsenic Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé scored second-half goals to nonstop France backmost to the semifinals.

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Kylian Mbappe of France celebrates aft scoring his teams archetypal extremity during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Quarter Final lucifer betwixt France and Morocco astatine Boston Stadium connected July 9, 2026 successful Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Daniela Porcelli/Getty Images)

France volition present await the victor of Spain and Belgium, who look disconnected against each different connected Friday astatine 3 p.m. successful Los Angeles.

Much similar Paraguay successful the Round of 16 against France, Morocco was intelligibly focusing connected their defense, making definite the likes of Mbappé didn’t person casual lanes to score.

It was moving to commencement the match, though France was instantly connected the violative and stayed determination throughout. However, Morocco faltered erstwhile a foul was committed successful their ain box, forcing a punishment kick.

KYLIAN MBAPPÉ'S SEVENTH GOAL OF THE WORLD CUP LIFTS FRANCE PAST PARAGUAY IN PHYSICAL ROUND OF 16 MATCH

Mbappé stepped close up to the ball, but the caput referee was waiting for the awesome to spot if a VAR cheque was needed earlier the punishment could beryllium taken. The referee called it a punishment connected the pitch, but helium had Mbappé frustrated arsenic helium had to proceed re-doing his regular aggregate times earlier yet getting the chance.

Morocco goalkeeper Yassine "Bono" Bounou work Mbappé similar a book, arsenic the French superstar tried to bait him into moving earlier his kick. But Bounou stood similar a statue earlier pouncing to his near and keeping the scoreboard soundless successful the archetypal half.

Morocco didn't registry its archetypal existent scoring accidental until stoppage time, underscoring France's power of the match. It felt similar lone a substance of clip earlier Les Bleus yet broke through.

France's guardant Ousmane Dembele celebrates scoring his team's 2nd extremity during the 2026 World Cup shot tourney quarter-final lucifer betwixt France and Morocco astatine Boston Stadium successful Foxborough connected July 9, 2026. (CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP)

After getting backmost to their violative ways successful the 2nd half, they near it to Mbappé to find conscionable capable abstraction wrong Morocco’s box, with defenders draped each astir him, to occurrence a perfectly placed footwear past a diving Bounou for his eighth World Cup tourney goal.

Mbappé is tied with Argentina’s Lionel Messi for the pb successful this World Cup, portion besides having 20 for his career. Messi, who broke the all-time World Cup goals grounds earlier successful the radical stages, is up to 21 goals.

With Morocco yet conceding, France began uncovering much abstraction arsenic its hostile was forced to unfastened up successful hunt of an equalizer. Dembélé exploited 1 of those gaps to perfection.

In the 66th minute, Dembélé, utilizing his weaker close foot, kept a screamer debased toward Bounou’s net. Though the Morocco keeper got a manus connected it, helium didn’t get capable arsenic it trickled into the backmost of the net.

At this point, France knew it had the abstraction it needed connected the scoreboard to thrust retired the match. Though Morocco tried, they couldn’t get thing going, and Didier Deschamps’ squad erstwhile again proved however ascendant they tin beryllium during this World Cup arsenic they moved connected to the semifinals.

France's guardant Kylian Mbappe and Morocco's midfielder Azzedine Ounahi combat for the shot during the 2026 World Cup shot tourney quarter-final lucifer betwixt France and Morocco astatine Boston Stadium successful Foxborough connected July 9, 2026. (FRANCK FIFE / AFP)

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France volition play connected July 14 astatine 3 p.m. successful Dallas, wherever they could look a Spain squad that has yet to concede a extremity successful this tournament, oregon a Belgium squad that took retired Team USA to scope the quarterfinals.

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