France Seal Semi-Final Spot With 2-0 Win Over Morocco
France defeated Morocco 2-0 at Boston Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, to become the first nation to advance to the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-finals. Specifically, goals from Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé sealed the victory on July 9, 2026. Furthermore, the result eerily mirrors France’s 2-0 victory over Morocco in the 2022 World Cup semi-final in Qatar.
How the Match Unfolded
France dominated but had to wait for the breakthrough. Specifically, Mbappé was brought down by Noussair Mazraoui in the penalty box in the 28th minute, but goalkeeper Yassine Bounou saved his low right-corner spot kick following a lengthy VAR review delay.
Furthermore, Mbappé redeemed himself in the 60th minute, cutting inside from the left and curling a brilliant right-footed strike from the edge of the box into the far corner. Additionally, Dembélé doubled the lead in the 66th minute, latching onto a flicked pass from Mbappé to blast a low finish past Bounou.
Consequently, France’s defence, anchored by William Saliba and Dayot Upamecano, comfortably managed Morocco’s late attacking pressure to record their third consecutive clean sheet of the tournament.
The Records That Fell Tonight
France’s achievement comes with multiple historical footnotes. Specifically, Didier Deschamps’ men reached their third consecutive World Cup semi-final across 2018, 2022 and 2026, a feat previously only achieved by Germany and Brazil.
Furthermore, Mbappé’s goal took his tournament tally to eight goals and his career World Cup total to 20. Consequently, he now sits just one goal behind Lionel Messi on the all-time World Cup scoring charts while leading the current Golden Boot race.
