France Beats Morocco to Reach World Cup Semi-Finals

France ended Morocco’s chance of making it to the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup on Thursday with a solid 2-0 win.

The Atlas Lions fought hard but the French team moved into the semi-finals for the third time in a row.

Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé scored in the second half, ending Morocco’s impressive run in North America.

Morocco was the only African team left after Egypt lost in the Round of 16. They aimed to build on their historic semi-final run at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

But Didier Deschamps’ team showed they were too strong again.

France started strong and nearly took the lead in the fourth minute. Moroccan goalie Yassine Bounou made a fantastic save from Dayot Upamecano’s header.

The breakthrough seemed close when Noussair Mazraoui was called for a foul on Mbappé in the box. After a long VAR check, referee Facundo Tello confirmed the penalty.

Mbappé took the penalty but Bounou made another great save. This made him the first Moroccan goalkeeper to save a penalty during normal play at a World Cup.

Even after the missed penalty, France kept control of the game. They only allowed Morocco one touch in their penalty area before half-time. Lucas Digne also hit the crossbar with a long-range shot as France kept the pressure on.

The deadlock finally broke in the 60th minute. Mbappé made up for his earlier miss by scoring from outside the box. This was his eighth goal of the tournament.

Just six minutes later, Mbappé assisted Dembélé, whose shot found the bottom corner to make it 2-0 for France.

Mbappé’s goal brought his World Cup total to 20, putting him second on the all-time scoring list. Argentina’s captain Lionel Messi leads with 21 goals.

The France captain also achieved a new record. He became the first player since 1966 to have 10 goal involvements in two different World Cups, with eight goals and two assists in both Qatar 2022 and the 2026 tournament.

Dembélé’s goal was his fifth in the tournament, making France the first team since Brazil in 2002 to have two players score at least five goals in the same World Cup.

Morocco tried to find a way back into the game but could not break through France’s strong defence. Achraf Hakimi and Neil El Aynaoui came close late in the match.

France now continues their chase for a third World Cup title. Morocco leaves the tournament proud after a run that showed the growing strength of African football on the world stage.