Mbappé and Dembélé Fire France Past Morocco into World Cup Semi-finals

Sports Desk: France booked their place in the semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a 2-0 victory over Morocco, overcoming a first-half penalty miss as goals from Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé sealed the win.

In the high-profile quarter-final held in Boston, Didier Deschamps’ side proved too strong for Morocco, ending the African nation’s impressive run in the tournament.

Earlier in the first half, Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou kept his team in the game by saving a penalty from French captain Kylian Mbappé. Deep into first-half stoppage time, Lucas Digne struck the crossbar, and the two sides went into the break locked at 0-0.

Morocco came out aggressively after the interval, but France broke the deadlock in the 60th minute. Receiving a pass from Désiré Doué inside the penalty area, Mbappé beat defender Issa Diop before curling a superb shot into the back of the net.

The goal marked Mbappé’s 20th in FIFA World Cup history, moving him within one goal of Lionel Messi’s tally of 21. It also saw him surpass Just Fontaine to become France’s all-time leading World Cup goalscorer.

Morocco responded by introducing Sofyan Amrabat and Soufiane Rahimi in an effort to increase their attacking threat. However, France doubled their advantage in the 66th minute through Ousmane Dembélé. After being set up by Mbappé, the winger fired a low shot from the edge of the box that beat Bounou despite the goalkeeper getting into position.

Trailing by two goals, Morocco pushed hard to get back into the match. In the 73rd minute, Dayot Upamecano almost scored an own goal with an attempted clearance, but the ball sailed over the crossbar. Mike Maignan comfortably collected Azzedine Ounahi’s long-range effort in the 83rd minute, and moments later El Aynaoui’s header from Achraf Hakimi’s corner found the side netting, effectively ending Morocco’s hopes of a comeback.

Both teams made several substitutions in the closing stages. France withdrew Mbappé and Jules Koundé, bringing on Jean-Philippe Mateta and Malo Gusto. The French maintained control throughout six minutes of added time and secured a comfortable 2-0 victory, reaching the World Cup semi-finals for the third consecutive tournament.

Morocco, despite a courageous performance, saw their memorable campaign come to an end in the quarter-finals.