Kylian Mbappe became the central figure to lead France into the semifinals of the 2026 World Cup. Together with Ousmane Dembele, the Real Madrid forward scored the goals for Les Bleus as they defeated Morocco 2-0 (0-0) in the quarterfinal match at Boston Stadium, United States, Friday, June 10, 2026, early morning.
Failing to score in the first 45 minutes, France showed their sharpness in the second half. Mbappe finally put his team ahead in the 60th minute through a shot from near the penalty box that nestled into the corner of Morocco’s net.
Les Bleus’ lead increased six minutes later. Dembele made a penetration before unleashing a low right-footed shot from outside the penalty box that shook Yassine Bounou’s net to ensure France became the first team to qualify for the semifinals. They will await the winner of the match between Spain and Belgium.
After the match, Mbappe reminded his teammates that his team’s journey to win the World Cup title is still long. “Our path is still long. We know that the upcoming opponents will be tougher than the ones we have already faced. We are ready to face the next challenge,” Mbappe said.
Mbappe emphasized that his team’s focus is now directed at the semifinal match. The 27-year-old forward assessed that France must maintain its best performance.
The addition of that one goal also allowed Mbappe to reclaim the top position in the 2026 World Cup Golden Boot race after recording eight goals and three assists. The 27-year-old striker displaced Argentine captain Lionel Messi, who dropped to second place with a collection of eight goals and one assist.
Acknowledging
Meanwhile, France coach Didier Deschamps said his team is “exactly in the position we want to be” after securing their third World Cup semifinal in three consecutive editions. “We are now exactly in the position we want to be. We will recover well and wait for who the next opponent will be,” Deschamps said, quoted from FIFA’s official website, Friday.
If they win again in the semifinals, Les Bleus will reach their third consecutive final in three editions. Previously, they successfully became champions in 2018 in Russia, while four years later in Qatar, Les Bleus were defeated by Argentina in the final match.
“This is the reason we came here, and the players have the responsibility to do everything they can to go as far as possible. We have successfully passed one major obstacle,” Deschamps stated.
Meanwhile, one of the goalscorers, Dembele, admitted he was very happy to be able to guide his country to the semifinals for the third consecutive time. His goal against Morocco was Dembele’s fifth goal in the 2026 World Cup, as well as his 12th goal overall for France in 65 appearances.
“We are very happy. We were truly focused on facing this match. This is my third World Cup semifinal with the French National Team. It feels truly joyful and very pleasant,” said the 2025 Ballon d’Or winner.
Meanwhile, Morocco National Team coach Mohamed Ouahbi acknowledged the superior quality of the French players in the match. Despite being able to suppress France’s attacks in the first half, their defense conceded two goals in the second half.
“We must admit that we faced a very good opponent. We struggled greatly in the first half, and Bounou’s penalty save kept us in the match. In the second half, we defended better and were calmer when in possession of the ball. In the end, it was decided by an extraordinary individual action from Mbappe,” Ouahbi said.
He admitted he was disappointed with the result, but assessed that his team had given their best ability amidst the squad’s limitations. He highlighted the lack of player options on the bench when the team was hit by injuries, the absence of a number of players, as well as fatigue due to the tight match schedule.
Although Morocco’s run was halted in the quarterfinals, Ouahbi is optimistic that the future of his country’s football remains bright if the team’s development continues. He emphasized that his team came to the 2026 World Cup with the ambition of becoming champions, but had to accept the reality of losing to one of the favored teams.
“Of course we wanted to win and had done everything, but we faced a very difficult opponent,” Ouahbi stated.
The 48-year-old coach also emphasized that Morocco’s struggle did not only represent their country, but also carried the hopes of the Moroccan people as well as many supporters from Asia and Africa.
“Many people see themselves in this team, and we will continue to work to win titles in the future,” Ouahbi concluded.
