World Cup 2026: Mbappé's breakthrough sends France past Morocco to semi-finals France booked their place in the semi-finals for the third time in a row with a 2-0 victory on Thursday over Morocco, overcoming an early penalty miss to break down the resilient Atlas Lions. Kylian Mbappé's breakthrough goal and Ballon d'Or holder Ousmane Dembélé's finish proved decisive as the Bleus progressed to the World Cup's final four. France defeated Morocco 2-0 in a hard-fought quarter-final encounter, with Mbappé opening the scoring after initially missing a penalty in the first half.

Mbappe curled in his eighth goal of the tournament on 60 minutes before Dembele doubled Les Bleus' lead six minutes later to settle a clinical victory at the Gillette Stadium outside Boston. The win sends the 2018 champions into a last-four showdown against either Spain or Belgium in Arlington, Texas on Tuesday. The Atlas Lions had been tipped to pose a serious threat to France's hopes of reaching a third consecutive World Cup final.

Read moreWorld Cup 2026: Argentina pull off stunning comeback as Egypt protest refereeing But Didier Deschamps' men were always in control against a limited Morocco side who failed to register a single shot on goal until an 83rd minute free-kick by Azzedine Ounahi was parried away by France goalkeeper Mike Maignan. France though struggled to find a breakthrough, and missed the opportunity to take the lead on 28 minutes when Mbappe saw a penalty saved by Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou. Mbappe had won the penalty after being brought down by Noussair Mazraoui but was forced to wait several minutes before being allowed to take the kick after a protracted VAR check.

Resilient Bounou Morocco managed to hold out to half-time but it was always only a matter of time before France's relentless pressure paid off. The breakthrough came on the hour mark, with Mbappe bending a brilliant right-foot shot past a resilient Bounou from the edge of the area. Paris Saint-Germain star Dembele made the game safe in the 66th minute, striding forward menacingly from midfield before steering a low finish into the bottom corner.

Watch more'Kylian, forgive us': How the World Cup turned Mbappé's reputation around France now await the winner of Friday's quarter-final in Los Angeles between European champions Spain and Belgium. Spain, who have not conceded a single goal so far, eliminated Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal in the last 16 and will fancy their chances of overcoming Belgium, who thrashed United States 4-1 to reach the last eight. (FRANCE 24 with AFP)