Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele score as France become the first team to qualify for semi-finals
It was a repeat of the 2022 World Cup semi-final, with African record-breakers Morocco facing a France side eyeing a third consecutive semi-final appearance. Last time these two sides met, it was Les Blues who ran away 2-0 winners.
The Atlas Lions always knew this game was going to be incredibly tough, facing off against the tournament favourites, but when the team news came out. Moroccan top scorer Ismael Saibari, who was taken off early in his last game against Canada, was not in the starting eleven, with Sunderland winger Chemsdine Talbi taking his place.
France remained largely the same from their 1-0 victory over Paraguay, with one change: PSG wingers Bradley Barcola and Desire Doue swapped places, allowing Doue to start from the front.
It only took four minutes for the action to unfold, France captain and all-time top scorer Kylian Mbappe letting fly with a long-range effort that had to be acrobatically tipped wide by Morocco keeper Yassine Bounou. But the real chance came when Mbappe rushed the corner short, and a floating cross by World Cup top assister Michael Olise found an unmarked Dayot Upamecano only six yards out. Still, his header was far too central, giving Bounou the chance to push it away, but the tournament set an early warning for the favourites.
Just before the first hydration break it was France's main man Mbappe again causing carnage, he was able to burst away and finally find some grass to run into, as he entered the penalty area some sharp stepovers and a small diversion off the ball was enough to make Nouassir Mazraoui perform a sliding tackle, but the Moroccan defender got none of the ball and enough contact of Mbappe to take him down, giving referee Facundo Raúl Tello Figueroa no choice but to point to the spot, giving Les Blues the perfect chance to find the opener.
Strangely, Mbappe was made to wait a good while before taking the penalty, with VAR confirming it was a penalty, the ball not being in the penalty spot to the referee's liking, and Moroccan players encroaching on the penalty box. After a long three-and-a-half-minute wait, Mbappe stepped up to take the penalty. His stuttering run-up didn't fool Bounou, and a tame penalty was saved by the Moroccan keeper, allowing the Atlas Lions to survive another close shave.
The pace of this opening 2026 quarter final really died after the penalty miss all the way until half-time. Morocco was more than happy with how things were going, comfortable sitting back and blocking any French attack, but they didn't have their first touch in Les Blues' box until the 40th minute.
France only had one chance before the break as well: the ball fell to full-back Lucas Digne about 25 yards out, and he smashed a swerving effort towards Bounou, which crashed off the crossbar before going over. However, it did look like Bounou had it covered as the half-time whistle went, both sides goalless.
It looked to be the same in the second half, with it playing that France had to try and break down a very resolute Moroccan side. Some incredible footwork by Michael Olise allowed Mbappe to have another chance, which he blazed over, but he was happy enough to see the linesman's flag raised.
Realistically, the opening goal was only going to come from one team, and one man in particular, and on the hour mark, that man did unfold. Adrien Rabiot was able to scrap the ball to the captain, Mbappe, 20 yards out, and as he just approached the box, he looked like he couldn't quite get the room to get a shot off, but the Real Madrid star had other ideas. He perfectly shifted his body to give himself room to curl it around Issa Diop, and he perfectly struck it on the inside of the right-hand post, giving Bounou no chance and Les Blues that invaluable lead.
Only six minutes later, though, the Atlas Lions World Cup dream looked all but over when Mbappe fed Dembele the chance to run at the Moroccan defence. Mbappe used some clever movement to give the Balon d'Or winner the time he needed,d and from twenty yards out, this powerful effort was too much for Bounou to keep out, even though he should have saved it. But for Morocco, in the space of six minutes, they found themselves two down with the tie all but over.
Les Blues seemed confident they had the victory all but sorted when they substituted scorer and assister Mbappe off for Mateta, and PSG young starlet Warren Zaire-Emery was given his World Cup debut by Deschamps, who has managed to perform another tactical masterclass to dismantle a side who hadn't lost in thirty matches before this, with ease.
Morocco tried to make something happen to try and reignite the game, but Les Blues' stubborn defence proved too tricky for them to break down, with the closest being a skewed Talbi cross that Upamecano almost diverted in.
The game finished 2-0, another comfortable win for Les Blues, as they really start to put distance between themselves and other nations and are the clear favourites for the tournament. The worrying part for either Spain or Belgium, the possible semi-final opponents, is that it wasn't France's best, and it is clear that they can take it up another level, which is truly frightening.
Morocco found themselves truly outclassed in every department. Saibari's unavailability made an already difficult task almost impossible. However, it is still another impressive World Cup run by the Atlas Lions, thwarted by Les Blues for the second World Cup in a row.
