France Marches Into the Semifinals with 2-0 Victory Over Morocco
World Sports Desk /Aggregated content Posted 10 July,2026
Tournament favorites France secured a commanding 2-0 victory against Morocco at Boston Stadium, making them the first team to book a spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinals. In a highly anticipated rematch of their 2022 semifinal encounter in Qatar, Les Bleus replicated the exact same scoreline to eliminate the Atlas Lions from the tournament once again.
Match Timeline & Key Moments
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28th Minute (Bounou Denies Mbappé): France earned a golden opportunity when Kylian Mbappé was brought down in the penalty area by Noussair Mazraoui after a quick counterattack. Following a lengthy VAR review, Mbappé stepped up to take the penalty, but Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou guessed correctly, diving to his right to spectacularly deny the French captain and keep the game scoreless.
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60th Minute (France 1-0 Morocco): The breakthrough finally arrived an hour into the match. After Morocco failed to clear a defensive sequence, Mbappé picked up the ball just outside the box, took a couple of sharp touches, and unleashed a perfectly curled rocket into the top far corner of the net. The goal tied him with Lionel Messi for the tournament lead at 8 goals.
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66th Minute (France 2-0 Morocco): Just six minutes later, France doubled their advantage. Mbappé turned provider, drawing defenders out of position before laying a pass off to Ousmane Dembélé. Dembélé drove toward the edge of the D and struck a low right-footed shot past Bounou to grab his 5th goal of the tournament.
Team Performances & Statistics
Didier Deschamps’ men displayed a highly professional and controlled performance, dominating the tempo throughout the 90 minutes. Morocco struggled to establish clinical transitions in the final third, visibly missing the attacking prowess of sidelined forward Ismael Saibiri.
What’s Next?
France’s star forward Kylian Mbappé suffered an ankle injury scare late in the second half and was substituted out in the 77th minute. However, he was seen smiling and celebrating with his teammates post-match, downplaying any long-term concerns.
With this milestone victory, France remains on track to potentially emulate football giants Brazil and West Germany by reaching three consecutive World Cup finals. They will face either Spain or Belgium in the semifinal showdown scheduled in Dallas.
