Boston, Jul 09 (V7N)- France became the first team to book a place in the semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after securing a 2-0 victory over Morocco in the quarter-finals on Thursday.
Goals from Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé sealed the win for the two-time world champions at Boston Stadium, sending Les Bleus into the last four.
France dominated possession from the opening whistle and created early chances, but Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou produced two impressive saves inside the opening five minutes to keep the score level.
The French were awarded a penalty in the 26th minute after Noussair Mazraoui brought down Mbappé during a counter-attack. However, Mbappé failed to convert from the spot as Bounou guessed correctly and made the save.
Morocco attempted to respond with attacks of their own but struggled to break through the French defence, and the first half ended goalless.
France finally broke the deadlock in the 60th minute when Mbappé fired home from just outside the penalty area after sustained pressure.
The goal took the French forward's tournament tally to 20 World Cup goals, leaving him just one behind Lionel Messi in the overall scoring race of the competition.
Only six minutes later, Dembélé doubled France's advantage. After receiving a pass created by Mbappé's run, the winger calmly slotted a low shot into the bottom corner to make it 2-0.
Morocco continued to push forward in search of a comeback but failed to convert their opportunities as France comfortably held on to secure victory.
France will face the winner of the Spain vs. Belgium quarter-final in the semi-finals. The match is scheduled to be played on Tuesday, July 14, with kick-off at 1:00 a.m. Bangladesh time.
END/SMA/AJ
