(Boston, July 10) France and Morocco met for the second successive World Cup in the knockout rounds, and for the second time it was France who prevailed, winning 2-0 to reach the semi-finals of the 2026 tournament in the United States. The result means France have now eliminated Morocco at consecutive World Cups by the same scoreline, a remarkable statistical coincidence that underlines the gulf in depth between the two sides at the very highest level.
The France vs Morocco contest was gripping in its first half despite being short on goals. Bounou was at his absolute best to deny France on multiple occasions, capping a remarkable personal performance by saving Mbappe‘s penalty in the 25th minute. It was the Moroccan goalkeeper’s fourth penalty save at a World Cup, and it sent a clear message that France would need to earn their goals rather than rely on set-piece fortune. France’s Digne also struck the crossbar with a long-range effort in added time, meaning a remarkable string of chances went unconverted.
Morocco had shown resilience throughout the tournament but were missing their most dangerous attacker Zerbi through injury, and that lack of a clear focal point in attack was apparent as the second half unfolded. France grew into the game and opened the scoring on the hour when Mbappe turned provider — running onto a loose ball, driving at the defence and finishing across Bounou from a tight angle. His eighth goal of the tournament drew him level with Messi in the race for the Golden Boot.
The second goal was pure quality, with Mbappe threading a precise ball into Dembele‘s path and the winger finishing crisply to make it 2-0 in the 66th minute. Morocco introduced Rahimi and other reinforcements but France saw the game out with little difficulty, with Maignan making a sharp stop late on to preserve the clean sheet. France march on as one of the strongest remaining sides in the competition, with Mbappe and Dembele in the form of their lives.