Mbappe breaks records as France defeat Morocco to reach World Cup last four

Mbappe breaks records as France defeat Morocco to reach World Cup last four

France booked their place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-finals with a commanding 2-0 victory over Morocco, as second-half goals from Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele ended the Atlas Lions’ impressive run in the tournament.

The victory sends Didier Deschamps’ side into a third consecutive FIFA World Cup semi-final, underlining France’s status as one of the favourites to lift the trophy.

Played in Massachusetts under sweltering conditions, with temperatures hovering around 32 degrees Celsius, the quarter-final began with France immediately asserting control. Les Bleus dominated possession and created the first clear chances through Mbappe and Dayot Upamecano, forcing Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou into early saves.

Despite the early pressure, Morocco gradually settled into the contest. Led by Achraf Hakimi, Noussair Mazraoui and a disciplined defensive line, the Atlas Lions frustrated the French attack while looking to exploit counter-attacking opportunities. However, they struggled to create meaningful chances against goalkeeper Mike Maignan.

France continued to press and came close midway through the first half when Adrien Rabiot headed over from close range after a corner. Moments later, the defending champions were handed a golden opportunity after Mazraoui brought down Mbappe inside the penalty area following a swift counterattack.

After a lengthy VAR review, the referee pointed to the spot, but Mbappe failed to capitalise. His 28th-minute penalty lacked conviction and was comfortably saved by Bounou, who once again demonstrated why he remains one of the tournament’s standout goalkeepers.

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France refused to let the missed penalty affect their rhythm. Ousmane Dembele curled an effort narrowly wide before Desire Doue tested Bounou with a low drive. Just before halftime, Lucas Digne came agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock when his powerful strike rattled the crossbar.

The teams headed into the interval locked at 0-0, with Morocco encouraged by their resilience and France left to reflect on a missed opportunity.

The second half began cautiously before France’s superior quality eventually told.

In the 60th minute, Mbappe picked up possession on the left edge of the penalty area, cut inside and curled a magnificent right-footed effort beyond the fully stretched Bounou into the far corner to give France a deserved lead.

Morocco appealed for a possible handball in the build-up, but after another VAR review, the goal was allowed to stand.

Just six minutes later, France doubled their advantage. Dembele drove forward through midfield before unleashing a low shot from outside the box. Although Bounou got a hand to the effort, he could not prevent the ball from finding the bottom corner to make it 2-0.

The quick double dealt a major blow to Morocco’s hopes of staging a comeback.

Coach Mohamed Ouahbi responded with attacking substitutions, introducing Sofyan Amrabat and Abderrazak Hamdallah, but France remained composed and organised defensively.

Morocco enjoyed more possession during the closing stages but found few clear openings. Azzedine Ounahi finally forced Mike Maignan into a save late in the game, while Neil El Aynaoui headed into the side netting from a Hakimi cross, but France comfortably protected their lead.

There was a brief injury concern when Mbappe received treatment after taking a knock in the 76th minute. The France captain was later substituted as a precaution and left the field smiling, easing fears over his availability for the semi-final.

France nearly added a third goal when Bradley Barcola was denied by Bounou before substitute Jean-Philippe Mateta headed over from the resulting corner.

At the final whistle, France celebrated another disciplined knockout victory that extended their remarkable World Cup record.

The result means Les Bleus have now reached the FIFA World Cup semi-finals for the third consecutive tournament while maintaining clean sheets in all three knockout matches at the 2026 finals.

The evening also marked another milestone for Kylian Mbappe, who became the youngest player to reach 20 FIFA World Cup appearances and equalled Lionel Messi’s tournament-leading tally of eight goals at the 2026 World Cup. He also matched Hugo Lloris’ record for the most World Cup appearances by a French player.

Speaking after the match, France coach Didier Deschamps praised his team’s resilience, saying their progress was built on “unshakeable belief” despite the first-half penalty miss.

Morocco, meanwhile, bowed out with pride after another memorable World Cup campaign. Although the Atlas Lions failed to register a shot on target until the closing stages, their run to the quarter-finals further reinforced the nation’s growing reputation on the global football stage ahead of co-hosting the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

France will now face the winner of the quarter-final between Spain and Belgium as they continue their pursuit of another World Cup title.

Mbappe breaks records as France defeat Morocco to reach World Cup last four