By Divine Eleeh
Defending finalists France advanced to the semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Thursday after overcoming a resilient Morocco side with a 2-0 victory at Gillette Stadium.
Second-half goals from Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé broke the deadlock in front of 63,811 spectators, keeping Les Bleus on track for a third successive World Cup final appearance.
The victory required a redemption arc for French captain Mbappé. The 27-year-old squandered a golden opportunity to open the scoring in the first half when Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou comfortably saved his penalty kick.
Mbappé rectified the error on the hour mark, producing a sublime curling effort to put France ahead. The strike marked his eighth goal of the tournament, moving him level with Argentina’s Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot.
Six minutes later, Mbappé turned provider, threading a precise pass to Dembélé. The winger raced clear and slotted a low shot into the bottom corner past a diving Bounou to register his fifth goal of the campaign and seal the victory.
Mbappé was substituted late in the match with an ice pack strapped to his right ankle, though his decisive contributions had already secured the result.
The outcome echoes the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where France eliminated the Atlas Lions by the exact same scoreline, though that meeting occurred in the semi-finals. Morocco displayed their trademark defensive resilience throughout the match but lacked a consistent attacking threat, heavily missing injured forward Ismael Saibari.
Manager Didier Deschamps and his squad will now travel to Dallas to face either Spain or Belgium on Tuesday, sitting just one win away from another shot at global football glory.
