Mbappe guides France to World Cup semifinals with 2-0 win over Morocco despite injury scare
Led by superstar forward Kylian Mbappe, France punched their ticket to the semifinals with a clinical 2-0 victory over Morocco in a high-stakes 2026 World Cup quarterfinal clash.
In a grueling, physical battle, France punched their ticket to the 2026 World Cup semifinals with a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Morocco. Kylian Mbappe broke the deadlock in the second half, redeeming himself after an earlier penalty miss before leaving the pitch late with an apparent injury.
Morocco struggled to replicate the clinical form that defined their historic tournament run. Once France capitalized on their premium scoring opportunities, the dream ended for the final African nation in the field, who will now head home after a memorable campaign.
Tello blows his whistle and the second half is underway.
First half stats
Possession: France 54% – 46% Morocco
Shots: France 6 – 3 Morocco
Shots on Target: France 2 – 1 Morocco
Fouls: France 4 – 6 Morocco
Corners: France 3 – 1 Morocco
Saves: France 1 – 2 Morocco
Yellow Cards: France 0 – 1 Morocco
Red Cards: France 0 – 0 Morocco
Key Event: Kylian Mbappé missed a penalty kick in the 27th minute.
45+5' - Halftime (0-0)
After an intense first half between France and Morocco, Tello blows his whistle to finish it.
45+2' - DIGNE HITS THE POST! (0-0)
A great long range shot from Lucas Digne hit the post in the last minutes of the game.
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45' - Additional time (0-0)
Tello adds five more minutes in the first half.
43' - France press again (0-0)
After leaving Morocco to play with the ball, France are pressing their exit.
41' - Bounou keeps saving their team (0-0)
After saving the penalty, Bounou has saved other clear chances to score from France and with it, he is the best player on the field so far.
39' - France have slowed down (0-0)
Now, Morocco have the ball, but they can't surpass the middle of the field.
37' - Morocco need a new strategy (0-0)
Despite they are trying to get the ball, Morocco can't find a clear space to score, while France take advantage of it to create multiple chances.
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35' - Morocco find hard to create chances to score (0-0)
Despite having the ball possession in the last couple of minutes, Morocco can't create a clear chance to score, while Bounou is saving everything on their area.
33' - Dembele with a clear chance to score (0-0)
Taking advantage of his ability to shoot with both feet, Dembele also scored the goal against Morocco.
31' - Match restart (0-0)
Both teams come back to the field and the match restart.
Mbappe was trying to score and Mazzraoui committed a foul in their area.
24' - Morocco try to take advantage of France's spaces (0-0)
As France are trying to score, they have left spaces in defense that Morocco want to take advantage.
22' - Ball possession (0-0)
France 63% and Morocco 37%.
20' - Morocco are just defending (0-0)
France are creating everything in the game, while Morocco are defending every chance they create.
18' - Another chance for France (0-0)
Ousmane Dembele with a header was close to score the first goal of the game, but the ball went wide.
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16' - Free kick for Morocco (0-0)
A foul from Lucas Digne gave Morocco the chance to score. Hakimi crossed the ball, but went pretty wide.
14' - Free kick for France (0-0)
Olise kicked the ball, but any player from France found a space to shoot.
12' - Dembele and Olise start to appear (0-0)
With France having the ball possession, Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise have also growth in the game and they are participating even more.
10' - France are close to score (0-0)
With plenty of passes on Morocco's area, France seem closer to score the first goal of the game.
8' - Morocco have slowed things down (0-0)
After two clear chances for France, Morocco have taken the ball to slow things down.
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6' - Mbappe is the main menace for Morocco (0-0)
With his speed, Mbappe has been the main menace for Morocco in this game, and the Moroccan side are defending.
4' - Now France have the ball possession (0-0)
After the early possession from Morocco, France have created the first dangerous situation with a shot on target for Kylian Mbappe and a header from Dayot Upamecano.
2' - Morocco have started with the ball possession (0-0)
As they have taken the ball possession, France are waiting to steal it and create a chance to score.
0' - First half underway! (0-0)
Referee Facundo Tello blows his whistle and the first half starts.
Both teams are on the field for the protocolary acts
Everything is ready to start the game, as both France and Morocco are on the field for the protocolary acts.
Morocco's starting XI: Yassine Bounou; Achraf Hakimi, Noussair Mazraoui, Issa Diop, Anass Salah Eddine; Ayyoub Bouaddi, Chemsdine Talbi, Azzedine Ounahi, Bilal El Khannous, Neil El Aynaoui; Brahim Diaz.
France lineup
France's starting XI: Mike Maignan; Lucas Digne, Dayot Upamecano, Jules Kounde, William Saliba; Manu Kone, Adrien Rabiot; Ousmane Dembele, Kylian Mbappe, Desire Doue, Michael Olise.
Santiago Tovar is a bilingual sports journalist who joined Bolavip US in 2024. With over seven years of experience, he has covered a diverse range of sports, including soccer, NFL, NBA, tennis, and Formula 1. Santiago has provided real-time coverage of major events such as the 2021 Women's Copa America, Copa Libertadores, Copa Sudamericana, and the Davis Cup qualifiers. Before joining Bolavip US, he worked at Kienyke.com and Redmas.com.co, where he developed strategies to highlight key sports moments across websites and social media platforms.