Mbappé’s right foot finally broke Morocco’s resistance and turned a tense France Morocco World Cup 2026 quarter-final into a 2-0 French passage to the semifinals at Gillette Stadium.
For an hour, Bono had made the night feel far more complicated for France than the shot count suggested. Then Kylian Mbappé scored on 60 minutes, Ousmane Dembélé followed six minutes later, and Morocco’s run ended under a wave of French pressure.
Bono defies France as Mbappé misses
France pressed the issue immediately. Mbappé forced Bono into a fourth-minute save, and from the resulting corner Dayot Upamecano had a free header in the six-yard box that the Morocco goalkeeper also kept out.
The biggest first-half swing came after 25 minutes, when Noussair Mazraoui brought down Mbappé and Facundo Raul Tello Figueroa pointed to the spot. The penalty was confirmed, but Bono read Mbappé’s low effort on 28 minutes and preserved the 0-0 scoreline.
That save defined the half. Désiré Doué was denied after breaking clear, and Lucas Digne struck the bar from nearly 30 metres before the interval arrived goalless.
Mbappé breaks Morocco after the interval
Morocco had more of the ball, finishing with 52% possession to France’s 48%, but the danger was overwhelmingly French. France turned their pressure into 22 shots and 8 on target, while Morocco managed 5 shots and only 1 on target.
The breakthrough arrived on 60 minutes. Mbappé set himself on the edge of the area and bent a right-footed strike past the defender in front of him and beyond Bono for 1-0.
Morocco’s frustration showed when Diop was booked for a challenge on Mbappé three minutes later, the only yellow card of the match.
Dembélé seals France’s semifinal surge
France needed only six minutes to turn control into separation. Mbappé found Ousmane Dembélé, who drove to the edge of the box and struck low into the bottom-right corner for the 2-0 that settled the France-Morocco game.
There were late alarms. Upamecano nearly diverted the ball over his own goalkeeper, El Aynaoui hit the outside of the net from a Morocco corner, and Mbappé left the pitch in the 76th minute after going down and holding his ankle.
Bono still had to stop Barcola and Mateta near the end, but the pattern never changed. France matched their 2-0 win over Morocco from 2022, moved into the World Cup semifinals, and kept alive the possibility of a third consecutive World Cup final.
Match Information
Competition: World Cup, quarter-finals. Date & Time: Thursday 9 July 2026, 22:00 CET. Venue: Gillette Stadium, Boston. Referee: Facundo Raul Tello Figueroa, Argentina.
