France beats Morocco and reaches the semi-final

Second-half goals from Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé gave France a 2-0 victory against Morocco in the first quarter of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Thursday.

Mbappé has now tied Argentine captain Lionel Messi with eight goals in the tournament.

The French team was also responsible for Morocco’s elimination from the 2022 World Cup thanks to its 2-0 victory in the semifinals.

It was a match that France deservedly won, as they were the better team throughout the match, dominating possession, goal attempts and shots on goal.

Read also: World Cup 2026: France has enough quality to surpass Morocco –Petit

Mbappé had the chance to open the scoring in the 28th minute from the penalty spot, but his shot was saved by Yassine Bounou.

But Mbappé made amends in the 60th minute, when he sent the ball out of Bounou’s reach.

Then, six minutes after the first goal, Dembélé doubled the lead, after running towards the opponent and firing a low shot into the bottom corner.

France will now face Spain or Belgium in the semi-finals. Spain and Belgium will meet on Friday in the quarterfinals.