France end Morocco run in World Cup quarter-final
Shafaq News- Foxborough
France reached the World Cup semi-finals with a 2-0 win over Morocco on Thursday, with Kylian Mbappe recovering from a missed penalty to score the breakthrough before Ousmane Dembele sealed the quarter-final at Boston Stadium.
France will face Spain or Belgium in the last four, with the other quarter-final in their half of the draw deciding their semi-final opponent.
The match revived the 2022 World Cup semi-final, which France also won 2-0, and again ended with Les Bleus cutting short Morocco’s historic run. This time, Morocco arrived as a proven knockout side, but France controlled the key moments.
Mbappe had the chance to put France ahead in the first half after a VAR review led to a penalty, but Yassine Bounou saved his effort to keep Morocco level. France still carried the greater threat before the break, with Lucas Digne also striking the crossbar.
Morocco reached half-time at 0-0, but their defensive resistance broke after the restart. Mbappe curled France in front around the hour mark, turning a difficult night into another decisive World Cup performance.
Dembele doubled the lead six minutes later with a low finish, giving France the cushion they needed and forcing Morocco into a chase they never controlled.
Morocco made changes in search of a route back, but France stayed compact, managed the tempo, and limited the Atlas Lions to few clear chances.
The result ended Morocco’s bid to reach a second straight World Cup semi-final after their breakthrough run in Qatar. Their campaign still added another milestone after they became the first African team to reach back-to-back World Cup quarter-finals.
For France, the win reinforced their tournament credentials after a narrow last-16 victory over Paraguay. Didier Deschamps’ side were not flawless, but Mbappe and Dembele gave them the attacking edge when the match opened.
