FIFA WC
Penalty miss forgotten as Kylian Mbappé fires France into FIFA World Cup 2026 last four
France secured a place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-finals after defeating Morocco 2-0 at Boston Stadium, with captain Kylian Mbappé producing another decisive performance despite missing a first-half penalty.
Mbappé recovered from the early setback by scoring France's opening goal before setting up Ousmane Dembélé for the second, guiding Didier Deschamps' side into a third successive FIFA World Cup semi-final.
France will now face either Belgium or Spain in the last four.
Mbappé, Dembélé seal comfortable victory
France dominated possession for long spells and created the better opportunities from the outset.
The first notable chance arrived in the fifth minute when Dayot Upamecano directed a header from a corner straight at Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.
Les Bleus were later awarded a penalty after Noussair Mazraoui fouled Mbappé inside the area.
The France captain stepped up to take the spot-kick, but Bounou produced an impressive save to keep the scores level at half-time.
Photo: FIFA.com
France strike twice after interval
France finally broke the deadlock in the 60th minute when Mbappé curled a superb effort from the edge of the penalty area into the far corner to register his eighth goal of the tournament.
Just six minutes later, the forward turned provider by threading a precise pass to Ousmane Dembélé, who calmly slotted the ball into the bottom corner for France's second goal.
With a two-goal cushion, Didier Deschamps' men controlled the remainder of the contest and comfortably secured their place in the semi-finals.
3rd consecutive World Cup semi-final
The victory sends France into a third successive FIFA World Cup semi-final, following their title-winning campaign in Russia in 2018 and their runners-up finish behind Argentina at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
The result also underlined France's consistency on the biggest stage under head coach Didier Deschamps.
Mbappé continues record-breaking WC run
Mbappé has now scored in all six of France's matches at the FIFA World Cup 2026 and leads the race for the adidas Golden Boot with eight goals.
The France captain also continued his remarkable rise in World Cup history.
With 20 career World Cup goals, Mbappé has moved behind only Lionel Messi, who leads the all-time tally with 21 goals.
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