Kylian Mbappé has a goal and an
assist as France beats Morocco 2-0 in the World Cup quarterfinals
[July 10, 2026]
By KYLE HIGHTOWER
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Kylian Mbappé spread his arms out wide and
spun around after scoring his eighth goal of this year’s World Cup.
He later gave the jubilant France fans dotted around the stadium a
wave when he left the game because of an injury scare.
Les Bleus, with a star striker who said he's fine despite a right
ankle issue, are headed back to the semifinals for the third
straight World Cup tournament.
Mbappé had a goal and an assist after missing a first-half penalty
kick, Ousmane Dembélé also scored and two-time champion France beat
Morocco 2-0 Thursday in the quarterfinals.
“There’s only one way to relax, and that’s by winning. Until we’ve
done that, we don’t let up,” Mbappé said. “We’re in the semifinals
and we’re very happy, but there’s still a long way to go.”
Mbappé’s goal in the 60th minute was the 20th of his World Cup
career and came in his 20th match at the tournament, moving him one
behind Argentina captain Lionel Messi. Dembélé scored his fifth goal
of the tournament in the 66th.
Mbappé went down to the ground in the 76th minute, about 13 minutes
after being hit hard by a Moroccan defender, and was taken off for a
substitute a minute later. He was then shown sitting on the bench
with an ice pack on his right ankle.
After the match and with both shoes on, Mbappé ran and jumped in
celebration with his teammates.
“I took a knock to the ankle, but I’m fine," Mbappé said. “At that
point, JP (Jean-Philippe Mateta) was in better shape than I was to
play the final minutes.”
France will face either Spain or Belgium in the semifinals in Dallas
on Tuesday.
France beat Morocco by the same score in the semifinals of the 2022
tournament in Qatar when the Atlas Lions became the first African
team to make it that far. France now remains on track to become only
the third nation to play in the final of three consecutive World
Cups.
“It is a confirmation of how we’ve played so far,” said France coach
Didier Deschamps, who added there is a reason for his team's success
in recent World Cups.
“Having great players. Excellent players. My credit goes to the
players. But maybe I do my job well," he said. "The only truth is
the one on the pitch.”
Mbappé got his goal with a perfectly placed shot just inside the far
post after Morocco failed to clear the ball. He received the ball
just outside the area, took a couple steps forward and then sent his
shot sailing into the net. He extended both arms and ran to the
sideline to celebrate with his teammates.
France's second goal came after Mbappé took a pass and tapped it
back for Dembélé. Mbappé kept running forward and took defenders
with him, opening space for Dembélé's shot.
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Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou (1) reaches for the ball during
the World Cup quarterfinal soccer match between France and Morocco
in Foxborough, Mass., near Boston, Thursday, July 9, 2026. (AP
Photo/Charles Krupa)
Dembélé said he wasn't surprised with how Mbappé
stepped up after his penalty miss in the first half.
“He's our captain and he has an incredible mentality,” Dembélé said.
“We're expecting even more goals from him.”
France held a 21-4 advantage in shots on goal and 8-1 edge in shots
on target for the game.
“We are very disappointed. We wanted to go on,” Morocco coach
Mohamed Ouahbi said. “When we had ball possession, our transitions
were not great and we had to run a little more. Their players were
in their comfort zone.”
Mbappé also had the first shot on goal of the game, just missing
wide right in the fourth minute. Then, in the 25th, he was running
up the left side when he was chopped down in the box by Morocco
defender Noussair Mazraoui. Referee Facundo Tello quickly pointed to
the penalty spot.
Mbappé lined up waiting for his attempt but was held up by a lengthy
video review. He was finally cleared to shoot in the 28th minute,
but after a hesitation, Mbappé’s shot toward the right corner was
corralled by goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, who guessed the direction of
the shot correctly.
Deschamps said the long review also included a review for another
foul.
Mbappé made his only other penalty attempt at this year's World Cup
in France’s 1-0 victory over Paraguay in the round of 16.
Still, France was by far the more active team offensively in the
first half, holding a 13-1 advantage in shots on goal.
Morocco’s best opportunity came just before the halftime whistle
when Achraf Hakimi sent a free kick from just outside the box past
the right post.
France now has a chance to emulate Brazil and West Germany in
reaching three straight World Cup finals.
“We realize that what lies ahead is even tougher than what we’ve
been through," Mbappé said, "but we’re ready to face anything.”
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