At the end of the day, it was business as usual for the French team. They overcame a gritty Morocco in clinical fashion with a 2-0 win in the quarterfinal of the FIFA World Cup 2026 at Boston Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts earlier today.
But, the French fans had their hearts in their mouths at least twice, as their skipper Kylian Mbappe first missed a penalty in the first half. Then, after scoring his eighth goal of this World Cup and the 20th of his tournament career, he was substituted in the 77th minute because of an apparent injury.
There are concerns whether the injury is serious enough to prevent him from playing the semifinal against either Belgium or Spain. Mbappe, however, assured the French fans that he is fine. "I have a minor ankle injury, but I'm completely fine," he said shortly after the final whistle sealed France's third consecutive semifinal appearance.
He explained his substitution was a tactical decision. "(Jean-Philippe) Mateta was in a better position to play the remaining minutes of the match and was fitter at that moment. That's all that happened."
Mbappe walked off the field, waving to the crowd. Just 17 minutes earlier, the 27-year-old had broken the deadlock, once again keeping pace with Argentina's Lionel Messi. The two are now tied for the tournament's top scorer, while the 39-year-old Messi holds a slim one-goal advantage for the all-time World Cup scoring record.
Ousmane Dembele added to the lead six minutes after Mbappe’s goal. The reigning Ballon d'Or winner, who had been scoreless in his first 12 World Cup appearances, has been in incredible form, scoring five goals in his last five matches.
The Les Bleus will now travel to Arlington, Texas, to play on Tuesday against the winner of Friday's quarterfinal showdown between Spain and Belgium. A nation will be watching intently, with hopes high that France can become just the third country to reach three consecutive World Cup finals.
"I want them to continue watching the games, giving us the strength," Mbappe said, addressing the fans back home. "Even though they're not in the stadium, we feel their energy. And we will try to gather the masses for the next matches."
For Morocco, the result was a familiar disappointment. They were shut out for the first time in this tournament and were eliminated by France for the second straight World Cup, following a 2-0 loss in the 2022 semifinals. The Atlas Lions were the last African team remaining after a historic tournament where nine of 10 qualifiers reached the knockout phase.
Playing without their injured forward Ismael Saibari, Morocco struggled to create chances for most of the match. They only managed to test French goalkeeper Mike Maignan once, with a long-range effort from Azzedine Ounahi in the 83rd minute.
The breakthrough for France came after an hour of frustrating play for Mbappe, whose poorly struck first-half penalty was saved by goalkeeper Yassine Bounou. But, in the 60th minute, when a deflected ball fell to him, he made no mistake. From the left side of the box, he curled a perfect right-footed shot around defender Issa Diop and just inside the post.
Dembele then sealed the win on a swift counterattack. As Morocco pushed men forward in search of an equaliser, Mbappe made a clever run to the left, drawing defenders with him and creating space. Dembele seized the opportunity, unleashing a powerful 20-yard strike that Bounou got a hand to but couldn't keep out of the net.
