FOXBOROUGH (GNP): Kylian Mbappe bounced back from a missed first-half penalty to score a stunning opener as France defeated Morocco 2-0 in their World Cup quarter-final, booking a spot in the semi-finals.
Mbappe’s tame spot-kick attempt was comfortably saved by Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, but he made amends with a superbly curled finish just after the hour mark to put France ahead. The goal was his eighth of the tournament, drawing him level with Lionel Messi atop the Golden Boot standings. He was substituted late in the match and watched the remainder from the bench with ice wrapped around his ankle.
Before being subbed off, Mbappe set up Ousmane Dembele for the second goal, sealing the win in front of 63,811 fans at Gillette Stadium. The result knocked Morocco out of the tournament, mirroring France’s win over the same opponent at the semi-final stage in 2022 — though this time the victory came a round earlier. France will next face the winner of Spain versus Belgium in Dallas.
The result keeps France on course for a third straight World Cup final appearance, in what is expected to be longtime coach Didier Deschamps’ final tournament in charge. Having won the title in 2018 and finished runners-up in 2022, France looked comfortable throughout, easily overcoming a Moroccan side that struggled offensively without injured forward Ismael Saibari.
Mbappe continued his strong tournament form, having scored twice each against Senegal, Iraq, and Sweden in earlier rounds, plus a penalty against Paraguay in the previous match. His latest goal brought his career World Cup tally to 20 in 20 matches — just one short of Messi’s all-time record of 21.
Morocco, despite strong crowd support, lacked the attacking edge to trouble France, who recorded their third consecutive clean sheet in the knockout stage. Still, the team showed promise through young players like midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, suggesting they could be competitive again when co-hosting the 2030 World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal.
Match Details
Mbappe won the penalty in the 25th minute after being fouled by Noussair Mazraoui during a fast break, a decision confirmed by video review after officials also checked for a separate foul involving Moroccan captain Achraf Hakimi. His resulting penalty attempt lacked power and was easily stopped by Bounou — a rare miss for the typically clinical striker, echoing similar struggles from Messi earlier in the tournament.
Bounou was instrumental in keeping Morocco competitive in the first half, making a key save to deny a shot from Desire Doue. Lucas Digne also came close for France with a long-range effort that struck the crossbar, but the first half ended scoreless.
France broke through 15 minutes into the second half when Doue set up Mbappe just outside the box; he controlled the ball and curled a precise shot past Bounou. The goal brought Mbappe’s international tally to 64 goals in 104 appearances, making him France’s all-time top scorer.
Six minutes later, Mbappe turned provider, setting up Dembele — the reigning Ballon d’Or winner — who curled a low shot into the same corner for his fifth goal of the tournament. Despite the goal, most of the post-match attention remained on Mbappe’s performance.
Morocco’s Bounou kept his side in contention for much of the match, denying a close-range effort from Dayot Upamecano early on and later guessing correctly to save Mbappe’s penalty — a stop that placed him among a small group of goalkeepers to have saved four penalties across World Cup history.
Despite the closeness of the scoreline for long periods, France dominated overall, outshooting Morocco 22 to 5 across the match, with Morocco struggling to generate numbers going forward in the absence of Saibari.
Sohail Majeed is a Special Correspondent at The Diplomatic Insight. He has twelve plus years of experience in journalism & reporting. He covers International Affairs, Diplomacy, UN, Sports, Climate Change, Economy, Technology, and Health.
