World Cup 2026: Mbappé And Dembélé Fire France Past Morocco to Reach World Cup Semi-Finals
3 min read
By Sedara Philip
France booked their place in the semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a commanding 2-0 victory over Morocco, bringing the Atlas Lions’ inspiring campaign to an end at Gillette Stadium.
Second-half goals from Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé proved decisive as Les Bleus once again ended Morocco’s World Cup dream, repeating their triumph over the North Africans from four years earlier while moving within two matches of another global title.
Despite the defeat, Morocco exited the tournament with their heads held high after another outstanding campaign that showcased African football on the biggest stage.
France wasted little time asserting their authority and nearly opened the scoring in the fourth minute. Dayot Upamecano rose highest to meet a dangerous delivery into the box, but goalkeeper Yassine Bono reacted superbly to push the powerful header away with an excellent save.
The Atlas Lions were forced onto the back foot as Didier Deschamps’ side dominated possession and created the better opportunities.
France believed they had been handed the perfect chance to break the deadlock midway through the first half when referee Facundo Tello pointed to the penalty spot after Noussair Mazraoui was adjudged to have committed a foul inside the area.
Following a lengthy VAR review, the penalty stood, but Bono produced yet another moment of brilliance. The Moroccan goalkeeper guessed correctly and dived to his right to keep out Mbappé’s spot-kick, preserving parity and giving his side renewed belief.
Bono continued his outstanding display ten minutes later, denying Désiré Doué after the youngster danced past defenders before firing a low effort towards the bottom corner.
France came within inches of taking the lead before the interval when Lucas Digne unleashed a thunderous strike from distance, only to see the effort crash against the crossbar.
Morocco’s resistance finally gave way after the restart.
In the 60th minute, Mbappé collected possession outside the penalty area, burst into space and calmly guided a precise finish beyond Bono to give France the breakthrough they had long deserved.
The goal shifted the momentum firmly in France’s favour, and only six minutes later they doubled their advantage.
Mbappé turned provider with a clever pass to Ousmane Dembélé, whose low strike from the edge of the area took a slight touch before nestling in the bottom corner to make it 2-0.
Morocco attempted to mount a response in the closing stages but struggled to break down a disciplined French defence, as Les Bleus comfortably managed the remainder of the contest to secure their place in the last four.
The victory sends France into the semi-finals, where they will face the winner of the quarter-final showdown between Spain and Belgium.
Although their World Cup journey ends in disappointment, Morocco once again captured global admiration with a fearless and resilient campaign, reinforcing their status as one of Africa’s leading football nations and leaving the tournament with immense pride.
Sedara Philip is a Sports writer, an administrator,Journalist,and editor
