KUCHING: The tension that gripped Boston Stadium for an hour finally gave way to celebration as France’s quality shone through, with Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé firing Les Bleus into the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-finals with a 2–0 victory over Morocco.
For long spells, Morocco frustrated the defending champions with their disciplined shape and fearless approach. Every French attack was met with a wall of red, while the Atlas Lions gradually grew into the contest after the restart, raising the noise inside Boston Stadium as belief spread through their supporters.
France, however, never panicked.
Désiré Doué forced Bono into an early save before Michael Olise unlocked Morocco’s defence with a perfectly weighted pass that Mbappé blazed over – a rare miss from the tournament’s most feared forward.
It proved only a temporary reprieve.
On the hour mark, Mbappé finally found the breakthrough, sweeping France into the lead and releasing the tension that had built throughout the evening.
The goal carried significance beyond the scoreline.
It lifted the France captain level with Lionel Messi on eight goals in the race for the Golden Boot while taking his remarkable World Cup tally to 20 goals in just 20 appearances – maintaining an extraordinary average of one goal per match on football’s biggest stage.
If there were any thoughts of a Moroccan comeback, they lasted just six minutes.
Dembélé capped a flowing French move in the 66th minute, doubling the advantage and effectively ending the contest as Les Bleus’ experience took over.
Morocco refused to abandon their attacking intent, with Chemsdine Talbi and Brahim Diaz continuing to probe for an opening, but Didier Deschamps’ side controlled the closing stages with the composure expected of reigning world champions.
The final whistle was greeted by roars from the French contingent inside Boston Stadium, while Morocco’s players left the pitch to warm applause after another spirited World Cup campaign.
France now stand two victories away from retaining the world title and will face the winners of Norway and England in the semi-finals.
