Mbappe's 20th World Cup goal sends France into semi-finals as Morocco are eliminated
France booked their place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-finals after defeating Morocco 2-0 in a hard-fought quarter-final clash at Foxborough, with Kylian Mbappé recovering from an earlier penalty miss to inspire Les Bleus to victory.
The Real Madrid superstar reached a remarkable milestone by scoring his 20th FIFA World Cup goal, helping France remain on course for a third consecutive appearance in the tournament final.
France began brightly and almost took an early lead, but Morocco goalkeeper Bono produced two excellent saves in quick succession. He first denied Mbappé's low drive before reacting brilliantly to keep out Dayot Upamecano's powerful header from the resulting corner.
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Having survived the early pressure, Morocco settled into a disciplined defensive shape, frustrating France for much of the opening half. The Atlas Lions' organised backline limited clear-cut opportunities while looking to threaten on the counterattack.
However, Morocco's defensive discipline briefly wavered when a rare attacking move left space for Mbappé to burst into the penalty area. Noussair Mazraoui brought the French captain down, handing France a golden opportunity from the penalty spot.
After a lengthy VAR delay, Mbappé stepped up but saw his tame effort comfortably saved by Bono, who guessed correctly to preserve the deadlock. France came close again before the interval when Lucas Digne's spectacular long-range strike crashed against the woodwork.
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France finally found the breakthrough on the hour mark through Mbappé's moment of brilliance. The 27-year-old cut inside from the edge of the box and curled a superb effort beyond Bono, using Issa Diop's positioning to disguise his strike before finding the far corner.
The defending finalists doubled their advantage soon after as Ousmane Dembélé capitalised on the space created by Mbappé's intelligent decoy run, drilling a low finish beyond Bono to put the contest beyond Morocco.
Morocco pushed forward in search of a response during the closing stages, but Mike Maignan and the French defence stood firm to record a third consecutive clean sheet at the tournament.
The victory sends France into the FIFA World Cup semi-finals, where they will face either Spain or Belgium on Tuesday as they continue their pursuit of another world title.
Edem Kwame
Edem Kwame is a staff journalist at GH News Media, where he covers sports, politics, and current affairs with a sharp focus on Ghanaian and African football. Known for his in-depth match analysis and timely reporting on the Black Stars, Edem brings a fan's passion and a reporter's rigor to every story he covers. His work spans breaking news, player features, and tournament coverage, including Ghana's campaigns on the continental and global stage. When he's not chasing the latest football headlines, Edem follows broader developments across Ghanaian society, bringing readers clear, well-researched journalism they can trust.
