France beat Morocco 2-0 on Thursday, July 9, in a World Cup quarterfinal at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Kylian Mbappe scored one goal and set up the other. Ousmane Dembele scored France's second. The win sends Les Bleus to their third straight World Cup semifinal.
The score stayed 0-0 through the first half, but France controlled play from the start. Mbappe had the first shot in the fourth minute and missed just wide of the left post. France kept Morocco from taking a single shot until stoppage time before the break. The temperature was 89 degrees at kickoff, and just over 64,000 fans filled the stadium.
France's best first half chance came in the 25th minute. Morocco defender Noussair Mazraoui brought Mbappe down inside the box. Referee Facundo Tello pointed to the penalty spot. A video review lasted about three minutes, which visibly frustrated Mbappe. When he finally took the kick in the 28th minute, Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou guessed correctly, diving low to his right to save the weak effort.
The deadlock broke in the 60th minute. Mbappe took a right footed shot from the top left of the box and curled it past a defender and inside the far post. It was his eighth goal of the tournament and the 20th World Cup goal of his career, leaving him one behind Lionel Messi's record of 21. Six minutes later, Mbappe flicked a pass to Dembele, who ran at Morocco's defense and scored low into the corner. It was Dembele's fifth goal of the tournament.
Morocco defender Issa Diop picked up the game's only yellow card for a foul on Mbappe. Mbappe left the match in the 77th minute holding his right foot and sat on the bench with an ice pack on his ankle. He later said he was fine and joined the celebrations.
France finished with 22 shots to Morocco's 5 and nine shots on target to Morocco's one. Morocco held 52% possession but could not test goalkeeper Mike Maignan until Azzedine Ounahi's shot in the 83rd minute. Bounou made several saves to keep the margin at two.
France next plays the winner of Belgium and Spain in the semifinal in Arlington, Texas, on Tuesday.