FOXBOROUGH/NEW YORK, JUL 10 (IANS): Kylian Mbappe overcame a first-half penalty miss to lead France into a third successive FIFA World Cup semi-final, beating Morocco 2-0 in the last-16 here at the Boston Stadium.
Mbappe recovered from a first-half penalty miss to score his eighth goal of the FIFA World Cup 2026, before setting up Ousmane Dembele for his fifth goal as the two-time champions booked a last-four meeting with either Belgium or Spain.
France signalled their intent early, with Dayot Upamecano heading a fifth-minute corner straight at Yassine Bounou. After dominating possession, Les Bleus were handed a golden opportunity to take the lead when Noussair Mazraoui brought down Mbappe in the penalty area. Mbappe stepped up, but Bounou produced a fine save to send the sides in level at the break.
The breakthrough arrived on the hour mark when Mbappe curled a superb finish into the far corner from the edge of the area. The France talisman turned provider moments later, when he flicked the ball on to Ousmane Dembele, who then took advantage of his captain’s run to find a shooting angle. With his right foot, he curled the ball past Bounou, who simply can’t stop it before it ends up in the back of his net.
In the process, Mbappe became the first player to be involved in at least 100 goals for the French national team (101 – 64 goals, 37 assists). Meanwhile, Dembele has become just the third French player to score five goals in a single edition of the FIFA World Cup, following Mbappe and Just Fontaine.
Didier Deschamps’ side comfortably saw out the remainder to reach a third successive World Cup semi-final, following their triumph in 2018 and runners-up finish to Argentina at Qatar 2022.
Match schedules
Norway vs England
12:30 AM (July 12)
Argentina vs Switzerland
06:30 AM (July 12)
Mbappe scripts history; becomes youngest to 20 matches, fastest to 20 goals
At just 27, Kylian Mbappe has etched his name deeper into FIFA World Cup history. Against Morocco, he became the youngest player to feature in 20 World Cup matches and the fastest to reach 20 goals in the competition. His tally now stands at 20 goals in 20 appearances across three editions (2018, 2022, 2026), leaving him just one shy of Lionel Messi’s record of 21.
Mbappe is now France’s most capped player in World Cup history, surpassing Hugo Lloris and moving ahead of Antoine Griezmann, Olivier Giroud and Raphael Varane. His consistency has placed him among the all-time greats, with records in wins, knockout goals and overall contributions.
France’s 3-0 victory over Sweden earlier in the tournament saw Mbappe become the French player with the most wins in World Cup history (15). He later equalled Brazil’s Cafu with 16 wins against Paraguay and matched Miroslav Klose with 17 wins against Morocco. Only Messi, with 20 wins, remains ahead. Mbappe also leads the all-time knockout-stage scoring charts. Entering 2026 with eight goals, he surpassed Brazil legends Leonidas and Ronaldo with his brace against Sweden. He extended the record to 11 goals against Paraguay and 12 against Morocco, cementing his dominance in high-stakes matches.