FIFA World Cup, France reach semis with Morocco scalp: Stats
What's the story
France secured a spot in the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-finals after a convincing 2-0 victory over Morocco. The match was held at the Gillette Stadium in Boston, with Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele scoring for Les Bleus. Despite missing an early penalty, Mbappe made amends by finding the net in the second half. Dembele completed the job for France with his side's 2nd goal with Mbappe assisting him. Here's more.
Match highlights
Mbappe shines for France
France captain Mbappe was instrumental in the team's victory, despite an early setback. He won a penalty after being fouled by Noussair Mazraoui but his weak shot was saved by Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou. However, he quickly made up for it with a stunning strike in the 60th minute, finding the far corner of the net to put France ahead.
Final moments
Dembele's goal secures France's victory
Just six minutes after Mbappe's goal, Dembele doubled France's lead with a well-placed shot that slipped past Bounou. The French defense held strong for the remainder of the match, ensuring Morocco couldn't find the back of the net. This win takes France one step closer to their third consecutive World Cup final appearance. They will face either Spain or Belgium in the semi-finals.
Player's performance
France inch closer to 3rd successive final; Mbappe scores again
With this victory, France are now one step away from their third consecutive World Cup final. Mbappe, who has scored eight goals and provided three assists in the tournament from six matches, is chasing the Golden Ball and Golden Boot. He is now tied with Lionel Messi at the top of the Golden Boot race with eight goals each. Erling Haaland owns 7 goals with Harry Kane scoring six times.
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2nd player after Messi with 20-plus World Cup goals
Mbappe has amassed 20 World Cup goals from 20 matches across three editions. He is now the 2nd player Messi to score 20-plus goals in World Cup history. Messi has 21 goals from 31 matches across six editions.
Duo
Mbappe races to 64 international goals; Dembele has 12
Playing his 104th match for France across competitions, Mbappe has amassed 64 international goals. As per Opta, Mbappe became the first player to be involved in 100 goals for the France national team (64 goals, 36 assists). Meanwhile, Dembele now has five goals at FIFA World Cup 2026. Overall, the Paris Saint-Germain star has 12 goals for France from 65 appearances.
Records
Massive records for France
As mentioned, Mbappe has been involved in 11 goals at the 2026 World Cup (8 goals, 3 assists). As per Opta, that's the most by a player in a single edition since Germany's Gerd Muller in 1970 (10 goals, 3 assists). France collected their 45th win at the World Cup, leveling with Italy. Only Brazil (79), Germany (70) and Argentina (52) own more wins. France are the first team to have two players score 5+ goals in a single World Cup since Brazil in 2002.
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Morocco keeper Yassine Bounou shows his prowess while facing penalties
Including shoot-outs, Morocco keeper Yassine Bounou has only been beaten by two out of nine penalties he's faced at the World Cup (saved four, three missed the target), as per Opta.
Information
Here are the match stats
France had 8 shots on target 22 attempts. Didier Deschamps' men created two big chances. Morocco had one shot on target from 5 attempts. France had 26 touches in the opposition box compared to Morocco's 8.