France reach World Cup semi-finals after 2-0 win over Morocco

FOXBOROUGH: France booked their place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-finals with a 2-0 victory over Morocco on Thursday, courtesy of two goals in the space of six second-half minutes.

France captain Kylian Mbappe overcame an earlier penalty miss to break the deadlock on the hour mark, before Ousmane Dembele doubled the lead shortly after. The victory sets up a last-four encounter for the reigning title favourites against either Belgium or Spain.

Mbappe, at 27, became the youngest player to make 20 World Cup appearances. His goal was also his 20th in tournament history, moving him level with Lionel Messi as the current tournament’s joint top scorer with eight goals, and leaving him just one goal behind the Argentine on the all-time World Cup scoring list.

Frenchman equals Lloris record amid missed spot-kick

The match saw Mbappe equal the all-time French record held by former goalkeeper Hugo Lloris for the most World Cup appearances. France started with intent, testing Morocco keeper Yassine Bounou early on with a low drive from Mbappe.

The Les Bleus were presented with a golden opportunity to take the lead in the 28th minute when they were awarded a penalty. However, Bounou guessed correctly to smother Mbappe’s low effort, marking the forward’s first penalty miss for the national team since Euro 2020.

France continued to dominate the first half, with defender Lucas Digne striking the crossbar with a powerful long-range effort in stoppage time. Morocco, employing a defensive setup with Brahim Diaz as a lone striker, failed to register a single shot on or off target during the opening 45 minutes.

Second-half double seals semi-final berth

The deadlock was broken on the hour mark when Mbappe made amends for his earlier error, curling a finish into the net from just inside the box.

Before Morocco could regroup, France struck a decisive second blow six minutes later. Dembele capitalised on the space created by Mbappe’s forward run to rifle home a low drive, registering his fifth goal of the campaign.

The defeat ended Morocco’s hopes of replicating their historic 2022 run, with the Atlas Lions heavily feeling the absence of injured forward Ismael Saibari. The North African side did not manage their first shot on target until the 84th minute.

“That’s three semi-finals in a row it’s good,” France coach Didier Deschamps said after the match. “It seems logical and natural, but you still have to get the job done. It was tricky, the penalty… when it’s Kylian. He never has any doubts.”

Deschamps substituted Mbappe late in the game following a knock to his ankle, but confirmed the team was exactly where they wanted to be.

Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi conceded that France were the stronger side on the day. “We have to recognise that France is a great team with excellent players,” Ouahbi said, adding that the team would look to progress further when they co-host the tournament in four years’ time.