France have reached the FIFA World Cup semi-finals for the third consecutive tournament after defeating Morocco 2-0 in Foxborough, with Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele scoring the goals that ended the Atlas Lions’ impressive run.
Didier Deschamps’ side had to work hard for the victory as Morocco once again showed the defensive organisation and resilience that had made them one of the tournament’s toughest opponents.
France started the match on the front foot, with Mbappe and the French attack immediately putting pressure on Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou. The goalkeeper was called into action early, making a fine save to deny Mbappe before producing another important stop to keep out Dayot Upamecano’s header from a corner.
Morocco gradually grew into the game, frustrating France with their disciplined defensive structure and limiting the space available to the European champions. The Atlas Lions appeared set to head into the break level until a costly defensive mistake gave France a major opportunity.
Mbappe was brought down inside the penalty area by Noussair Mazraoui, leading to a penalty for France. However, Bounou continued his outstanding performance by saving Mbappe’s spot-kick to keep Morocco in the contest.
After the restart, France maintained control of possession but struggled to find a way through Morocco’s compact defence. The breakthrough finally arrived in the 60th minute when Mbappe produced a moment of individual brilliance.
The forward collected the ball outside the box, created space with a quick movement and fired a powerful curling effort beyond Bounou into the far corner. The strike marked his 20th World Cup goal and underlined his status among the tournament’s greatest scorers.
The goal forced Morocco to open up, and France took advantage soon after. Mbappe’s movement drew defenders away, creating room for Ousmane Dembele, who finished calmly with a low strike to double France’s lead.
Morocco pushed forward in search of a comeback, but France remained composed defensively, with goalkeeper Mike Maignan and the back line securing another clean sheet.
The defeat brings an end to Morocco’s memorable World Cup journey, as they were unable to repeat their historic run to the semi-finals in 2022. France, meanwhile, continue their pursuit of a third World Cup trophy and will face either Spain or Belgium in the semi-finals.
