At the end of an intense and tactical quarterfinal, the French team secured its spot in the semifinals of the 2026 World Cup by defeating Morocco 2-0.
While Didier Deschamps’s men eventually broke through the Atlas Lions defense, this historic qualification leaves a bitter taste following the injury-forced exit of their star captain.
Les Bleus struggled against an extremely compact Moroccan defense in the first half.
The golden opportunity came in the 28th minute when Kylian Mbappe was awarded a penalty after a foul by Mazraoui; unfortunately for France, his attempt was masterfully saved by an imperial Yassine Bounou, leaving the two teams tied at halftime (0-0).
After the break, the Atlas Lions defense finally cracked thanks to Kylian Mbappe’s genius. In the 60th minute, the French forward broke the deadlock with a magnificent curling shot beyond Bounou’s reach, finally rewarding France’s dominance against a Morocco side that was too cautious.
Unable to respond immediately, the Moroccans fell behind six minutes later 66th minute on a breakaway goal by Ousmane Dembele (2-0).
Forced to open up in an attempt to tie the score, Morocco left large open spaces, perfect for Bradley Barcola’s lightning-fast counterattacks, which definitively dashed their opponents hopes.
While this well-deserved victory sends France to the World Cup semifinals, the celebration was marred by Kylian Mbappe’s injury-forced exit, and his condition will now be a source of concern for the entire country.
Morocco, meanwhile, exits the tournament, marking the end of the journey for the last remaining African team.
