France booked a semi-final spot at World Cup 2026 thanks to a 2-0 victory over Morocco, with Kylian Mbappé producing yet another decisive display.
After seeing his first-half penalty saved by Yassine Bounou, the Real Madrid star responded with a goal and an assist for Ousmane Dembélé in the second period as France sealed progression in Boston.
Morocco, on the other hand, struggled throughout the quarter-final match-up but nevertheless head home proud following another memorable World Cup run.
Didier Deschamps’ team – 2018 winners and 2022 runners-up – will face either Spain or Belgium in the last four.
‘Never any doubt’ for Deschamps
“We lacked efficiency and had this penalty saved in the first half, several chances, but there was never any doubt, especially not Kylian,” Deschamps explained in the post-match press conference.
“We have done everything right to pin them, we suffocated them and made them run. Then they were just tired.”
Asked to give his thoughts on the evolution of the French national team under his watch, the 57-year-old added: “In 2018, nobody expected us to succeed.
“In 2022, we were the defending champions and very often the defending champions are out in the last 16.
“This time, everybody has been expecting us [to win] before the first ball of the tournament, but my players are used to this and they will not get carried away.
“Right now, we’re not looking beyond July 14 [the semi-final] and it’s a good date [Bastille Day].”
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Vieira backs France for final
Speaking on ITV after the game, France and Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira said: “Before the competition, we were all convinced that Spain would be in the semi-final or the quarter-final.
“I think France will not have any kind of issues playing against them.
“France are a better team today than they were four years ago, but I don’t think Spain are a better team today than they were four years ago.
“I don’t see anybody stopping the French team going to the final.”
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Ouahbi hails ‘bright’ Morocco future
Morocco manager Mohamed Ouahbi, meanwhile, chose to focus on the positives, telling reporters: “The future will be bright if we continue like this, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t want to win. Of course we wanted to win.
“We did everything we could to win, but we faced a very difficult opponent. It’s a disappointment, of course, but we’ll keep working for the future.
“We know we represent more than just one country – we represent the Moroccan people and many countries across Asia and Africa.
“Many people see themselves in this team, and we’ll keep working to win titles in the future.”
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Simon Wilkes