France Reach Third Straight World Cup Semi-Final After 2-0 Win Over Morocco
France 2-0 Morocco
Goals: Mbappé 60’, Dembélé 66’
France are into the FIFA World Cup semi-finals for the third tournament in a row after beating Morocco 2-0 in a tense quarter-final.
Les Bleus dominated the first half but were denied by a heroic display from Morocco goalkeeper Bounou. Mbappé saw an early shot saved in the 3rd minute, before Bounou tipped Dayot Upamecano’s header over a minute later.
France were then awarded a penalty in the 25th minute for a foul on Mbappé, but Bounou guessed right to save it. Bounou was at it again in the 34th minute, denying Désiré Doué after he robbed Ayoub Bouaddi. Lucas Digne completed France’s first-half frustration when his 45th minute strike crashed against the crossbar. 0-0 at the break.
The breakthrough came in the 60th minute. Doué slipped in Mbappé who curled a left-footed finish into the far corner. Six minutes later it was 2-0. Ousmane Dembélé picked up the ball and drilled into the bottom corner for his 5th goal of the tournament.
Morocco, the only African side to ever reach a World Cup quarter-final, couldn’t find a way back. France now have 6 wins from 6 at this World Cup and have scored 16 goals.
Reactions
Didier Deschamps, France coach:
“In the first half, with that penalty save and the three chances, we lacked effectiveness, but that did not create any doubts in the minds of my players, and even less so in Kylian Mbappé. With a bit more fatigue, more spaces appear. We also conceded very few chances.
Many people think Kylian Mbappé is some sort of dictator, but as a captain he is a role model. He demonstrates this with all he does on the pitch, and especially with his goals.”
Kylian Mbappé, France captain:
“I threw the penalty incorrectly, but it was hard because there was confusion. The referee told me that there was a penalty at first and then he told me that there might not be a penalty after all. I lost my focus. I had never lived a situation like that.
Was it hard to see Hakimi sad? No. It will be harder when I see him in the dressing room and we go back to being human beings and friends… But here, on the pitch, THERE ARE NO FEELINGS!
There is still a long way to go! What lies ahead is even tougher. We’re going to take some time to recover and watch Spain vs Belgium to find out who we’ll be playing against.
I’m fine! I took a hit to the ankle, but everything’s okay. Mateta was more ready than me to play the last 15 minutes.”
Mohamed Ouahbi, Morocco coach:
“Some players stopped because there was a handball! And there was definitely a handball!
I don’t know if it should be called or not. But ultimately, it was an individual effort from Kylian Mbappé that led to the goal. We have to keep believing. We need to work on the fundamentals and ensure that when we have injuries, we have a deeper pool of players to draw from.”
Roy Keane, ITV:
“You could have 25 around Kylian Mbappé, but the great players decide what they’re going to do with the ball. What these great players do is they dictate!”
Statistics & Records
- Ayoub Bouaddi 18y 280d – 2nd youngest player ever to start a World Cup quarter-final. Only Pelé in 1958 was younger. He also became the first African teenager to make 5 World Cup appearances.
- Kylian Mbappé – 10+ goal contributions in back-to-back World Cups: 8G 2A in 2022, 8G 3A in 2026
- France – 100% record at World Cup 2026: 6 wins, 16 goals scored
- Top Scorers 2026: 1. Messi 8, 2. Mbappé 8, 3. Haaland 7, 4. Kane 6, 5. Dembélé 5
- History – France are only the 3rd nation to reach 3 straight World Cup semis after Germany and Brazil
France now await the winner of Spain vs Belgium in the semi-finals.