France, the strongest title favorite, defeated African powerhouse Morocco to reach the semifinals, led by ace Kylian Mbappe's opening game-winner.
France beat Morocco 2-0 in the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarterfinal held at Boston Stadium in the United States on the 9th, powered by Mbappe's second-half opening game-winner and Ousmane Dembele's clinching goal.
France endured a difficult time, unable to break through the defense of Morocco, which had been on a 34-match unbeaten run in international matches before this game. But consecutive second-half goals from Mbappe and Dembele delivered a complete victory.
France, a two-time World Cup champion (1998 and 2018) and runner-up at the previous 2022 Qatar tournament, showed its strength by reaching the semifinals for a third consecutive tournament.
France will compete for a spot in the World Cup final against the winner of the other quarterfinal between Spain and Belgium, to be played on the 11th.
With his eighth goal of this World Cup, Mbappe once again tied Argentina's Lionel Messi atop the scoring chart, and also set a record of 20 career World Cup goals.
France troubled Morocco's defense from early in the first half, led by Mbappe and Dembele. In the 24th minute, Mbappe won a penalty kick, but it was stopped by Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.
In the 34th minute, France's left winger Desire Doue won the ball through forward pressing and drove into the opposition's half, effectively creating a one-on-one chance. Doue calmly shot to the lower left, but Bounou again made a perfect save.
Having finished the first half scoreless, France threatened Morocco's goal again at the start of the second half.
France finally scored in the 60th minute. After collecting a ball cleared by the opponent, France played it to Mbappe, who was standing in the left-center just outside the penalty area. Amid Morocco's crowded defense, Mbappe opted not to dribble but instead fired an exquisite curling right-footed shot that caught the opposition off guard for the opening goal.
France's scoring run did not end there. In the 66th minute, Ousmane Dembele received a pass from Mbappe and scored an additional goal with a curling right-footed shot.
Down by two goals, Morocco mounted an all-out effort to pull one back in the remaining time but ultimately could not break through France's defense.
