France defeated Morocco 2-0 to reach the World Cup semi-finals for the third tournament running. The defending champions sealed their place in the last four with a commanding performance that ended the Atlas Lions’ campaign at the quarter-final stage.
Didier Deschamps’ side will face either Spain or Belgium in the semi-final after Kylian Mbappé delivered a decisive performance, scoring once and creating the second goal for Ousmane Dembélé. The victory extends France’s remarkable record of reaching the final weekend in three consecutive World Cups.
Mbappé denied from spot but strikes late
France dominated the opening period but were frustrated by Morocco’s defensive organisation. The breakthrough appeared imminent when Noussair Mazraoui conceded a penalty around the half-hour mark, yet Yassine Bounou produced a fine save to deny Mbappé from the spot after a lengthy VAR check.
The Real Madrid forward made amends on the hour mark, bending a powerful shot past Bounou to open the scoring. The goal took Mbappé to eight in the tournament, drawing him level with Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race, and made him only the second player to reach at least 20 World Cup goals.
France doubled their advantage shortly after when Dembélé converted following Mbappé’s assist, leaving Morocco with too much to do. The Atlas Lions managed their first shot on target only in the 82nd minute, with Mike Maignan denying Azzedine Ounahi.
Creative absence
Morocco’s task was complicated by the absence of Ismael Saibari, who failed to recover from a thigh injury sustained in the Round of 16 victory over Canada. The Bayern Munich midfielder’s creative presence was missed as the Atlas Lions struggled to threaten consistently.
Among those who did feature, midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi entered the history books as the second-youngest player to appear in a World Cup quarter-final, behind only Pelé. However, the Lille midfielder could not prevent France from controlling proceedings.
At the back, Dayot Upamecano and Michael Olise both played the entire match for France, with the Bayern Munich defender notably denying Morocco any clear sights of goal throughout the ninety minutes.
Semi-final berth secured
The result confirms France’s place in the final four for the third consecutive World Cup, having also reached this stage in 2018 and 2022. Deschamps’ side have yet to concede in the knockout phase of this tournament.
They now await the winner of the quarter-final between Spain and Belgium to determine their opponent in the semi-final. Morocco, meanwhile, exit at the same stage as their 2022 campaign, having again fallen to the eventual finalists.