France advanced to the semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after beating Morocco 2-0 in a tense quarter-final tie.
Didier Deschamps’ side controlled large periods of the game but were kept at bay by an inspired display from Morocco goalkeeper Bono until the second half. France had earlier missed a chance to open the scoring in the 28th minute when Kylian Mbappe’s penalty — awarded after a VAR review for Noussair Mazraoui’s foul on the France captain — was saved by Bono.
France finally broke through on the hour mark as Mbappe fired home from outside the box. Six minutes later, Mbappe turned provider, setting up Ousmane Dembele, whose deflected shot beat Bono to make it 2-0.Morocco pushed for a way back through Achraf Hakimi, Brahim Diaz and Azzedine Ounahi, but goalkeeper Mike Maignan produced a string of saves to preserve the clean sheet, including a crucial stop to deny Ounahi late on.
Mbappe was forced off with an injury in the closing stages after his goal and assist had already secured the result. France will face the winner of Spain vs Belgium in the semi-finals on Tuesday.
