FOXBOROUGH, MA – France secured its third consecutive World Cup semifinal appearance after defeating Morocco 2-0, powered by a resilient Kylian Mbappé who rebounded from his first-ever World Cup penalty miss to score the decisive opening goal.
The Real Madrid forward broke the scoreless deadlock in the 60th minute with a spectacular strike. After settling a pass from Desire Doue near the top of the penalty area, Mbappé took a single step inside the box and curled a right-footed shot around Moroccan defender Issa Diop, tucking it inside the right post. Just six minutes later, Ousmane Dembélé doubled France’s lead to seal the victory and eliminate any doubt about the outcome.
The triumph followed a tense first half on July 9, 2026, where Mbappé missed a penalty in the FIFA World Cup for the first time ever. In the 25th minute, Mbappé’s signature speed forced a transition foul. Following a nearly two-minute VAR review by Argentine referee Facundo Tello, Mbappé stepped up to take the kick in the 27th minute. After hesitating twice during his run-up, his shot was saved by Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, keeping the quarterfinal match tied at 0-0 heading into the first hydration break. Had he scored, it would have been his eighth goal of the tournament, tying him with Argentina’s Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race.
Reflecting on the saved penalty, Mbappé explained how the sequence disrupted his focus. “What do you want to know?” Mbappé remarked when asked about being stonewalled by Bounou. “Well, I shot and he stopped it. It wasn’t a good shot. It’s complicated, because there’s some kind of imbroglio – the referee is telling me there’s a penalty, I’m asking him if everything’s been checked. He says, ‘yes.’ So Ousmane sends me the ball. That’s the transition.” He added that the referee interrupted him as he set up his shot. “That’s just the way it is. I let myself be de-concentrated. That’s a scenario I hadn’t experienced yet,” he said. “That’s the kind of thing you can actually need to think about, because the referee can tell you it’s a penalty, and then it’s not going to happen. I’m not sure. It’s part of a new kind of soccer style. We need to adapt ourselves.”
Despite the early setback and another missed opportunity in the 56th minute—where he failed to convert a bouncing ball in the box and sent a left-footed cross over the touchline—Mbappé’s overall tournament performance remains historic. He now has a combined 11 goals (8) and assists (3) through six matches, the highest individual tally at a single World Cup since Gerd Müller recorded 13 in 1970.
His teammates and coach were quick to praise his leadership and mental strength. “Kylian is incredible,” Dembélé said. “He’s our captain, he doesn’t doubt anything. His mental is amazing. And so, we’re going to continue scoring.” France head coach Didier Deschamps also defended his captain, saying, “People think that Kylian is a dictator who only basically thinks about himself. But he is someone who, as a captain, is exemplary … beyond all the goals he scores.”
There was a brief moment of concern late in the match. Having led his team out for warmups at 3:08 p.m. ET, the 27-year-old Mbappé departed the pitch two-and-a-half hours later raising his left hand, leaving the game after medical trainers checked him out following an injury scare. Television cameras later showed him on the bench icing his right foot and ankle. While neither Mbappé nor Deschamps addressed the injury during the post-game press conference, Mbappé’s enthusiastic post-match celebrations suggest he remains in good spirits ahead of the upcoming semifinal.
