France ease past Morocco to reach third straight World Cup semi-final

France booked their place in a third consecutive FIFA World Cup semi-final after second-half goals from Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé secured a deserved 2-0 victory over Morocco in Boston on Thursday, ending the Atlas Lions' impressive run at the 2026 tournament.

Didier Deschamps’ side overcame a resilient Moroccan defence with a dominant display, eventually breaking the deadlock after the break to maintain their perfect record in North America and continue their pursuit of a third world title.

France controlled much of the opening half, creating several clear opportunities but finding Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou in inspired form.

The shot-stopper denied Mbappé from close range early on before producing an even more significant save midway through the half.

After Noussair Mazraoui brought down Mbappé inside the penalty area in the 25th minute, the France captain stepped up from the spot.

However, following a lengthy VAR delay, Bounou guessed correctly to save the striker's tame effort, preserving the deadlock and giving Morocco renewed belief.

Les Bleus continued to pile on the pressure, with Lucas Digne rattling the crossbar from distance and Désiré Doué forcing another smart stop from Bounou.

Despite France generating numerous chances, Morocco reached half-time level thanks largely to their goalkeeper’s heroics.

Morocco, quarter-finalists for the second successive World Cup, showed greater attacking intent after the restart but struggled to trouble Mike Maignan as France’s defence remained composed.

The breakthrough finally arrived in the 60th minute through the brilliance of Mbappé.

Collecting Doué’s pass just inside the penalty area, the Real Madrid forward shifted the ball onto his right foot before curling a superb strike beyond Bounou into the far corner to score his 20th World Cup goal.

The opener lifted France’s confidence, and only six minutes later they doubled their advantage.

Mbappé turned provider with a clever pass into the path of Dembélé, who calmly swept a low effort into the bottom corner from the edge of the area, with Bounou unable to keep the shot out despite getting a hand to it.

Morocco attempted to mount a response through Achraf Hakimi and Azzedine Ounahi, but clear-cut opportunities remained scarce as France expertly controlled possession during the closing stages.

Deschamps withdrew Mbappé to a standing ovation with 13 minutes remaining, while substitute Jean-Philippe Mateta came close to adding a third goal late on.

Maignan comfortably dealt with Morocco's limited efforts to preserve another clean sheet before the final whistle confirmed France's progress.

The victory extends France’s remarkable consistency on football’s biggest stage, sending the two-time champions into yet another World Cup semi-final as they continue their quest to reclaim the trophy.

Morocco, the defeat ends another memorable campaign.

After holding Brazil, defeating the Netherlands on penalties and reaching the last eight, the Atlas Lions once again demonstrated that they belong among the world’s elite and will look ahead with confidence as co-hosts of the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

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