Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele scored second-half goals to give France a comprehensive 2-0 victory over Morocco and send Les Bleus into the World Cup semi-finals.
Mbappe scored his eighth goal of the tournament in the 60th minute after missing a penalty in the first half, and six minutes later the Real Madrid star was the provider for Dembele’s strike.
Morocco, chasing an unprecedented run to the semi-finals for the second time in a row, had little to offer against a juggernaut French side now aiming to become the first nation since Brazil in 2002 to qualify for three World Cup finals in a row.
Mbappe was sent off for the final stages and was pictured clutching the ice to his foot on the bench, but stood up after the final whistle and celebrated freely.
At successive World Cups the Atlas Lions have lost to Les Bleus, with the 2-0 scoreline in Massachusetts matching their semi-final result in Qatar three and a half years earlier.
France will face either Spain or Belgium in the first semi-final on Wednesday morning Australian time.
See how the action unfolded in our live blog.
Fri Jul 10, 2026 at 6:23 am
Fri Jul 10, 2026 at 6:23 am
France – Morocco online, result
Fri 10 Jul 2026 at 9:30
Fri 10 Jul 2026 at 9:30
We’ll leave it there
France advances to the semi-finals with a convincing 2-0 win over Morocco.
What a team they are.
Tomorrow morning we will find out who they will face in the semi-finals.
It’s Spain vs Belgium, kicking off at 5am EST.
Then we look forward to meeting you!
Fri Jul 10, 2026 at 9:26 am
Fri Jul 10, 2026 at 9:26 am
Quick strikes: England defender suspended, US star broken leg
Fri Jul 10, 2026 at 9:23 am
Fri Jul 10, 2026 at 9:23 am
Who will be France’s opponent in the semi-finals?
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We’ll find out tomorrow when Belgium and Spain meet in the second quarter-final in Los Angeles.
Spain was my pre-tournament pick to win it all, and La Roja has been effective but still hasn’t set the world on fire in North America.
The team is set to make the most of the extremely talented Lamin Yamal, who is yet to really make his mark in the tournament after returning to full fitness in the early stages.
Meanwhile, Belgium will be looking to build on their best performance at the tournament.
(Getty Images)
The Red Devils, who somehow managed to leapfrog Senegal thanks to a late comeback in the round of 16, were completely dominant in a 4-1 win over the USA.
The USMNT were admittedly terrible in Seattle, but Belgium were cool and professional with a new starting lineup.
Kevin De Bruyne, Jeremy Doku and Romelu Lukaku were left on the bench as Charles De Ketelaar struck twice in their absence.
A much tougher challenge awaits Belgium tomorrow morning at 5am EST.
Fri Jul 10, 2026 at 9:01 am
Fri Jul 10, 2026 at 9:01 am
Mbappe’s advantage in the fight for the Golden Boot
Thus, Kylian Mbappe equaled Lionel Messi with eight goals and took first place in the Golden Boot standings.
Both players now have eight goals: Erling Haaland has seven, Harry Kane has six and Ousmane Dembele has five after today’s goal.
But having set up Dembele for France’s second goal against Morocco, it is Mbappe who leads the race for the gong.
The French superstar now has three assists in North America, with assists being the deciding stat when two players finish at the tournament level in goals.
Messi has one.
Fri Jul 10, 2026 at 8:46 am
Fri Jul 10, 2026 at 8:46 am
Match report: Mbappe stars again as France cruise past Morocco
(Getty Images)
AP
Kylian Mbappe had a goal and an assist after missing a first-half penalty, Ousmane Dembele scored the second and France beat Morocco 2-0 on Thursday in the World Cup quarterfinals.
Mbappe’s 60th-minute goal was the 20th of his World Cup career and came in his 20th appearance at the tournament, leaving him one goal behind Argentina captain Lionel Messi. Dembélé scored his fifth goal of the tournament in the 66th.
Mbappe was brought down in the 76th minute and was replaced a minute later. He was then shown sitting on a bench with an ice pack on his right ankle.
After the match, Mbappe ran and jumped in both shoes, celebrating the victory with his teammates.
France will face either Spain or Belgium in the semi-finals in Dallas on Tuesday.
France beat Morocco by the same scoreline in the semi-finals of the 2022 tournament in Qatar as the Atlas Lions became the first African team to achieve such a feat. France now remains on course to become only the third country to play in the finals of three consecutive World Cups.
Mbappe scored his goal with a precise shot just inside the far post after Morocco failed to clear the ball. He received the ball just outside the penalty area, took a couple of steps forward, and then fired a shot into the net. He extended both arms and ran to the sideline to celebrate with his teammates.
The French scored the second goal after Mbappe passed and deflected the ball to Dembele. Mbappe continued to run forward and took defenders with him, opening up space for Dembele to shoot.
It all came after Mbappe missed an opportunity to give France the lead midway through the first half when the French talisman was brought down by Nusser Mazraoui and awarded a penalty.
Mbappe lined up waiting for his try but was delayed by a lengthy video review. Finally, in the 28th minute, he was allowed to shoot, but after hesitating, Mbappe fired into the right corner, only to be stopped by goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, who correctly guessed the direction of the shot.
Fri Jul 10, 2026 at 8:35 am
Fri Jul 10, 2026 at 8:35 am
TF statistics
The French are statistically superior, with 3.05 expected goals to Morocco’s 0.14 in Massachusetts.
Fri Jul 10, 2026 at 8:31 am
Fri Jul 10, 2026 at 8:31 am
France’s front five fire again
(Getty Images)
It was another good day for France’s fantastic five.
Désiré Douhet came into Bradley Barcola’s starting XI today and looked right at home alongside Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise.
Barcola came into the game late in the second half and came close to scoring at the near post.
Here’s how the day turned out for the attacking quintet.
- Ousmane Dembele: 1 goal, 4 shots, 4 chances created
- Kylian Mbappe: 1 goal, 1 assist, 4 shots, 4 chances created
- Desiree Douhet: 3 shots, 3 chances created
- Michael Olise: 3 shots, 1 chance created
- Bradley Barcola: 1 shot, 2 chances created
That’s a combination of two goals, two assists, 15 shots and 11 chances created for the fearsome five.
Fri Jul 10, 2026 at 8:15 am
Fri Jul 10, 2026 at 8:15 am
French Joy in Boston
(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
A modest celebration for the French who sailed past Morocco in Massachusetts.
Fri Jul 10, 2026 at 8:12 am
Fri Jul 10, 2026 at 8:12 am
Mbappe undergoing treatment on the bench
(Getty Images)
One to keep an eye on.
Kylian Mbappe looked a little red-haired after being substituted in the second half and received some treatment while on the bench.
He appeared to be having some trouble with his right leg and we saw footage of him pressing the ice against it as the game neared its end.
However, it must be said that he did not seem too worried.
Fri Jul 10, 2026 at 8:02 am
Fri Jul 10, 2026 at 8:02 am
FT: France – Morocco 2–0
(Getty Images)
France is moving forward.
The final whistle blows at the Les Bleus professional medley show in Massachusetts.
Second-half goals from Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele propelled the French into a third consecutive World Cup semi-final.
This team is seriously intimidating.
Against a very good Moroccan team, the French hardly broke a sweat in the Boston heat, dictating the situation through midfield and creating more than enough in the final third.
They will face either Belgium or Spain in the semi-finals.
Another hugely successful tournament is coming to an end for Morocco.
The Atlas Lions suffered a major defeat today, but there are few teams in the history of world football that did not do so.
Fri Jul 10, 2026 at 8:01 am
Fri Jul 10, 2026 at 8:01 am
90+3′ France advance
Morocco simply couldn’t do anything in the Boston heat.
It still looks more likely and Mateta comes close to adding a third goal but his shot misses from the edge of the box.
Morroco’s Jessim Yassin struck from almost halfway but his speculative shot went over the crossbar.
Fri Jul 10, 2026 at 7:56 am
Fri Jul 10, 2026 at 7:56 am
90′ Six minutes of stoppage time remain.
Fri Jul 10, 2026 at 7:55 am
Fri Jul 10, 2026 at 7:55 am
88′ Barcola gets closer to the result
The French front line has plenty of space at the moment and new arrival Bradley Barcola may be literally licking his lips as he waltzes into the box.
His final attempt was tame, something of a double-kick, and Yassine Bounou saved it easily.
Changes for both teams: Malo Gusto starts for France and Amin Sbai starts for Morocco.
Fri Jul 10, 2026 at 7:52 am
Fri Jul 10, 2026 at 7:52 am
Moroccans are looking for a miracle
The Moroccan fans have not given up yet, with hopeful cries still echoing throughout the stadium, desperate to have at least one goal to cheer for.
However, the French fans seem quite relaxed. must have this in your bag.
Fri Jul 10, 2026 at 7:51 am
Fri Jul 10, 2026 at 7:51 am
83′ Morocco with a couple of dead ball chances
Morocco don’t look particularly likely to score one goal, let alone two, but the Atlas Lions have a chance from a dead ball wide of the left side.
Achraf Hakimi’s low cross is cleared but he takes another shot almost immediately as his teammate comes off the ball.
This time the standard part is much straighter and longer.
Hakimi refuses the shot, instead rolling it straight to Azzedine Unahi, who stings the palms of Mike Mignon.
For Morocco this is the first shot on target.
Fri Jul 10, 2026 at 7:46 am
Fri Jul 10, 2026 at 7:46 am
The stars are finally coming out to play
Dembele is joining the party now!
After a rather dull first half overall, it’s no surprise that the Blues have turned up the heat and are doing everything they can to put this game to bed.
Fri Jul 10, 2026 at 7:44 am
Fri Jul 10, 2026 at 7:44 am
77′ Mbappe sent off for the final stages
Kylian Mbappe’s race continues.
The French superstar leaves the field having provided another golden moment in North America.
His place is taken by Jean-Philippe Mateta.
Fri Jul 10, 2026 at 7:41 am
Fri Jul 10, 2026 at 7:41 am
73′ Nervous moment for France
Morocco have no choice but to throw everything forward as we enter the final stanza of the game and the Atlas Lions come as close as they have for some time thanks to the boot of French centre-back Dayot Upamecano.
A tempting cross from the right and Upamecano gets confused as he pulls the ball back, firing it over the crossbar and heading for a corner.
The standard is easily defended.
Fri Jul 10, 2026 at 7:37 am
Fri Jul 10, 2026 at 7:37 am
71′ Substitution for France
In Boston, the hydration break came and went, and Didier Deschamps returned to the bench.
Instead of Manu Kone, 20-year-old PSG midfielder Warren Zaire-Emery, making his debut at the World Cup, takes the field.
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