Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé scored as France defeated Morocco 2-0 to book their place in the semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Mbappe recovered from an earlier penalty miss to open the scoring before Ballon d’Or winner Dembele sealed victory, sending the two-time world champions into the last four.
France was awarded a first-half penalty after Mbappe was fouled by Morocco defender Noussair Mazraoui. However, the Real Madrid forward saw his tame spot-kick comfortably saved by goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.
Mbappé made amends in the 60th minute, curling a superb effort into the net from the edge of the penalty area to give Didier Deschamps’ side a deserved lead.
Dembele doubled France’s advantage six minutes later, driving at the Morocco defence before firing a low shot past Bounou despite the goalkeeper getting a hand to the ball.
The goal took Mbappé’s tally at the tournament to eight, drawing him level with Argentina captain Lionel Messi. The France forward now leads the Golden Boot race thanks to his superior assist record.
Mbappé also moved to 20 World Cup goals, just one behind Messi’s record of 21.
France will now face either Spain or Belgium in the semi-finals as they continue their quest for a third World Cup title after triumphs in 1998 and 2018.
Morocco struggled to trouble the French defence throughout the contest, managing just one shot on target and five attempts overall.
France dominated from the opening stages, with Mbappé forcing an early save from Bounou before Dayot, Upamecano, Adrien Rabiot and Dembélé all went close.
Desire Doué also tested the Moroccan goalkeeper, while Lucas Digne struck the crossbar as France piled on the pressure.
The only concern for France came when Mbappé was substituted in the 77th minute with ice applied to his right ankle. However, the forward eased fears after the match by celebrating enthusiastically with his teammates.
France has now won all six of their matches at the tournament and leads the scoring charts with 16 goals, strengthening their status as one of the favourites to lift the World Cup trophy.
