Mbappé and Dembélé Send France Past Morocco 2-0 Into World Cup Semifinals

France beat Morocco 2-0 in the World Cup quarterfinal, with Kylian Mbappé curling in the opener after a missed penalty and Ousmane Dembélé sealing a semifinal spot against the winner of Spain vs. Belgium.

Sports

uristocrat

July 9, 2026 2 min read

Mbappé and Dembélé Send France Past Morocco 2-0 Into World Cup Semifinals — Kylian Mbappé. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Key Points

France beat Morocco 2-0 in the first World Cup 2026 quarterfinal on July 9.
Kylian Mbappé curled in the opener early in the second half after missing a first-half penalty.
Ousmane Dembélé added the second; Mbappé also registered an assist.
France advance to the semifinals against the winner of Spain vs. Belgium.

France are through to the World Cup semifinals, and Kylian Mbappé is still the tournament's defining player. Les Bleus beat Morocco 2-0 in the first quarterfinal on Wednesday, with Mbappé curling in the opener early in the second half and Ousmane Dembélé sealing it, ESPN reported.

It was not quite flawless from Mbappé. He won a first-half penalty when Noussair Mazraoui brought him down, but Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou guessed right and pushed the weak effort away. Mbappé answered after the break with an inch-perfect finish, then added an assist as France pulled clear. The goal moved him level with Lionel Messi on eight goals in the Golden Boot race, with Mbappé ahead on assists — the continuation of a knockout run that has carried France since the group stage.

For Morocco, it is a familiar heartbreak one round earlier than 2022. The reigning African champions had been one of the tournament's defining runs: Azzedine Ounahi's brace beat Canada to reach the last eight after they had already knocked out the Netherlands, but they could not solve a France side that has now scored in every knockout game. The read: this is the version of France that wins tournaments, not the one that merely reaches finals — ruthless in transition, content to win 2-0, and built around a forward who bends games to his will even on a night he misses from the spot.

France's semifinal opponent is now settled: Spain beat Belgium 2-1 on a late Mikel Merino goal to reach the last four, where they will meet France. It continues a run that began in the knockouts with Mbappé's penalty past Paraguay in the round of 16. That semifinal is set for Tuesday, July 14 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

Source: ESPN, NBC News, Opta Analyst.