FOXBOROUGH, USA – Two-time world champions France booked their spot in a third consecutive FIFA World Cup semi-final after overcoming a stubborn Moroccan side 2-0 at the Boston Stadium on Thursday. Quickfire second-half goals from talisman Kylian Mbappé and winger Ousmane Dembélé broke the deadlock in an intense quarter-final clash.
First-Half Penalty Drama
France dominated possession early on, almost taking the lead in the fifth minute when Dayot Upamecano’s header was saved cleanly by Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou. Les Bleus were presented with a golden opportunity to break the deadlock in the 28th minute after Noussair Mazraoui brought down Mbappé inside the box. However, following a lengthy VAR check, Bounou guessed correctly and brilliantly denied Mbappé’s penalty effort, keeping the Atlas Lions level at the interval.
Six Minutes of Magic
The tactical deadlock finally shattered on the hour mark. Mbappé made amends for his earlier miss by curling a sensational right-footed strike into the far corner from the edge of the box, marking his 8th goal of the tournament.
Just six minutes later, before Morocco could properly regroup, Mbappé turned provider. He slipped a pass to Ousmane Dembélé, who confidently drove through the midfield and slotted a low finish into the bottom corner to make it 2-0.
Morocco fought valiantly but struggled to breach the solid French defense, with their best effort coming in the 83rd minute via an Azzedine Ounahi free-kick that was decisively parried by Mike Maignan. France comfortably controlled the closing stages and will now face either Spain or Belgium in the semi-finals in Arlington, Texas.
