Mbappé goal, Dembélé strike send France to World Cup semifinals

France secured a spot in the 2026 World Cup semifinals after defeating Morocco 2-0 in their quarterfinal match held in Boston. Goals from Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé in the second half sealed the victory for Les Bleus, making them the first team to reach the semifinals. France now awaits the winner of the Spain vs. Belgium quarterfinal, with a place in the final at stake.

Mbappé, France's star forward, opened the scoring in the 60th minute, placing him in a tie with Lionel Messi of Argentina for the tournament's top scorer with eight goals. This goal also marked Mbappé's 20th career World Cup goal, bringing him closer to Messi's record of 21. Mbappé previously scored four goals in the 2018 World Cup and eight in the 2022 tournament.

The match saw an early opportunity for France when Mbappé was awarded a penalty in the 25th minute after being fouled. However, his shot was saved by Morocco's goalkeeper, Yassine Bounou. Despite dominating possession and creating chances throughout the first half, France struggled to break down Morocco's defense.

In the second half, Mbappé broke the deadlock with a precise shot from near the penalty area that found the back of the net. Six minutes later, Dembélé extended France's lead with a powerful long-range strike. Morocco attempted to rally in the latter stages of the game, but they were unable to score, ending their hopes of reaching the semifinals.