Kylian Mbappe overcame a first-half penalty miss to lead France into a third successive World Cup semi-final.
France 2-0 Morocco
Mbappe (60), Dembele (66)
Kylian Mbappe stole the headlines once more as France defeated Morocco at Boston Stadium to reach the FIFA World Cup 2026™ semi-finals.
Mbappe recovered from a first-half penalty miss to score his eighth goal of the finals, before setting up Ousmane Dembele for his fifth as the two-time champions booked a last-four meeting with either Belgium or Spain.
France signalled their intent early, with Dayot Upamecano heading a fifth-minute corner straight at Yassine Bounou.
After dominating possession, Les Bleus were handed a golden opportunity to take the lead when Noussair Mazraoui brought down Mbappe in the penalty area. The France captain stepped up, but Bounou produced a fine save to send the sides in level at the break.
The breakthrough arrived on the hour mark when Mbappe curled a superb finish into the far corner from the edge of the area. The France talisman turned provider moments later, slipping Dembele through to fire a composed finish into the bottom corner.
Didier Deschamps’ side comfortably saw out the remainder to reach a third successive World Cup semi-final, following their triumph in 2018 and runners-up finish to Argentina at Qatar 2022.
Key stats
- Kylian Mbappe has scored in five of France’ six matches en route to the last four, and currently leads the race for the adidas Golden Boot.
- Only Lionel Messi has more World Cup goals (21) than Mbappe (20).
- Ousmane Dembele has become just the third French player to score five goals in a single edition of the FIFA World Cup, following Mbappe and Just Fontaine.
- At the age of 18 years and 280 days, Ayyoub Bouaddi is the first player to make five World Cup appearances as a teenager for an African team.
What they said…
“We have to admit we faced a very good opponent. We struggled a lot in the first half, and [Yassine] Bounou’s penalty save kept us in the game. We defended better in the second half and were calmer in possession. In the end, it was an individual piece of brilliance from [Kylian] Mbappe. It was a difficult feeling, but we have to keep working. We need more options on the bench when we have injuries, absences and fatigue, but of course we’re disappointed.
“The future will be bright if we continue like this, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t want to win today. Of course we wanted to win today. We did everything we could to win, but we faced a very difficult opponent. It’s a disappointment, of course, but we’ll keep working for the future. We know we represent more than just one country. We represent the Moroccan people, and many countries across Asia and Africa. Many people see themselves in this team, and we’ll keep working to win titles in the future.” Mohamed Ouahbi, Morocco coach
“It’s good, it was a tough match. Today, we missed a penalty and failed to convert some chances. With Kylian [Mbappe], there’s no issue, he never doubts himself, even though he had a chance before he scored. We are exactly where we wanted to be. We will recover well and see who our opponent will be. I imagine there’s a lot of excitement and passion in France. Here, we are in our own bubble, and I am even more so. That’s what we’re here for, and the players have a duty to do everything they can to go as far as possible. We’ve cleared a major hurdle.” Didier Deschamps, France coach
“I took a knock to the ankle, but I’m fine. At that point, JP [Jean-Philippe Mateta] was in better shape than I was to play the final minutes. The secret to this France team? There’s only one way to relax, and that’s by winning. Until we’ve done that, we don’t let up. We’re in the semi-finals and we’re very happy, but there’s still a long way to go. We realise that what lies ahead is even tougher than what we’ve been through, but we’re ready to face anything.” Kylian Mbappe, France captain
“We’re very happy. We were really focused on this match. This is my third World Cup semi-final with the French team. It’s pure joy, pure pleasure. We’re going to stay focused on what’s coming next. Two or three minutes before my goal, Kylian [Mbappe] told me to stay central. He made a great run that opened up the path for me. I really wanted to get the shot on target and see it go in. I’m happy.” Ousmane Dembele, France forward
