Matchday Pundit

WORLD CUP 2026  •  QUARTER-FINAL  •  MATCH REACTION

Thursday July 9, 2026 • Quarter-Final • Boston Stadium, Foxborough

Mbappe missed a penalty. Bounou was extraordinary for an hour. Morocco had zero shots on target in 90 minutes. And then Mbappe found the far corner in the 60th minute and Dembele curled one past Bounou six minutes later, and that was that. France are in the World Cup semi-finals for the third consecutive tournament. West Germany did it in 1982, 1986 and 1990. Brazil did it in 1994, 1998 and 2002. France are ninety minutes from joining that company. Here is everything that happened tonight in Foxborough.

By The Matchday PunditThursday July 9, 2026  •  World Cup Day 29

France vs Morocco

Quarter-Final • Boston Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts • July 9, 2026

2–0

France: Mbappé (60′) • Dembélé (66′)  |  Mbappé penalty saved by Bounou (27′)

0Morocco Shots on Target

17France Shots Total

8Mbappé Tournament Goals

20Mbappé Career WC Goals

Before this match kicked off, there was a story within the story that I want to begin with. Ismael Saibari, Morocco’s top scorer at this tournament with three goals in the group stage including a famous 70-second opener against Scotland, was ruled out with a hamstring injury. That was a devastating blow for Morocco and for their coach Mohamed Ouahbi, who had built so much of his attacking threat around Saibari’s movement, pace and finishing. Without him, Ouahbi started Chemsdine Talbi of Sunderland as a false nine, a brave choice that ultimately could not compensate for the quality Morocco were missing. At the other end, France were also without Aurelien Tchouameni through injury, with Manu Kone stepping into the double pivot alongside Adrien Rabiot. France came to Boston with 17 shots in 90 minutes. Morocco had two shots and none of them were on target. This was a night when France reminded the football world precisely why they are the favourites to win this entire competition. And the most remarkable thing about that statement is that the most important player on their team missed a penalty, went off injured in the second half, and they still won comfortably.

The Penalty. The Save. The Story of the First Half.

France dominated the match from the first whistle and had several good opportunities in the opening quarter of an hour. Mbappe fired a header wide from the right side of the box. Upamecano flicked a header goal-ward from a corner and Bounou palmed it away. Dembele rose high to meet a cross from the left and sent his effort wide of the far post. Lucas Digne had a ferocious long-range shot well saved by Bounou, who was being asked to make saves at a pace that told you everything about the one-sided nature of what was happening on the pitch. France were not finding a way through, but they were completely in control.

Then in the 27th minute, the moment this match will be most remembered for, at least in terms of the first half. Noussair Mazraoui caught Mbappe as he drove into the penalty area with a foul that referee Facundo Tello of Argentina had no hesitation in pointing to the spot for. Mbappe stepped up. And then the match stopped. A VAR review of over three minutes took place before Mbappe could take the kick, the action paused entirely while the system confirmed what the referee had already decided on the field. Mbappe restarted his pre-penalty routine several times during the wait, which did not help his rhythm or his composure. When he finally struck the ball, it was a weak, stuttering effort toward the right side of the goal and Yassine Bounou read it completely, diving to his right and saving comfortably. Mbappe went straight to referee Tello to complain about the delay. Tello was unmoved. The miss ended Mbappe’s streak of 15 consecutive successful penalty attempts and was his first ever missed penalty at a World Cup. At that precise moment, in the 27th minute, Morocco still had a chance to make this an extraordinary evening for African football. That chance did not survive the second half.

“A three-minute VAR review. Mbappe restarting his routine several times. Then a weak shot and Bounou dives right to save. His streak of 15 consecutive successful penalties was over. His first ever World Cup penalty miss.”

The first half continued in France’s favour throughout. Lucas Digne, playing at left back in an unusual France lineup, struck the crossbar with a magnificent long range effort in the first half stoppage time that had every French supporter briefly convinced the deadlock was broken. Bounou may have got a touch. The bar got most of it. Morocco went in at half-time goalless and having had zero shots on target, their expected goals figure a barely-visible 0.04 according to Opta. France had been the far better side and had nothing to show for it. Bounou had been the difference. He was the best player on the pitch and in any other game that kind of half might have set up a Morocco performance in the second half that went on to produce a famous result. It did not.

Mbappe Breaks the Deadlock. Dembele Makes It Two. The Game Is Over.

France came out for the second half exactly as they had started the first, with relentless purpose and with the confidence of a team that knew the goal was coming eventually. Mike Maignan barely had a moment’s work to do all evening. Morocco were defending so deeply and with so much of their energy that there was simply nothing left for Brahim Diaz and El Khannous to build an attack with when France lost the ball, which was rarely.

In the 60th minute, the breakthrough arrived. Michael Olise, who has been the most consistently creative player at this entire tournament with five assists to his name, played a precise through ball that put Mbappe through in behind Morocco’s defence. Mbappe, given just enough space inside the box, sorted his feet, looked up, and swept a right-footed shot into the far corner. It was a beautiful finish after a difficult first half personally, and the manner of it, composed, technically precise, no fuss, told you everything about the mental strength of the player. The stadium erupted. France led 1-0. Mbappe had scored his eighth goal of the tournament, now level with Lionel Messi at the top of the Golden Boot race. He had also just scored his 20th career World Cup goal, a number that continues to defy rational explanation for a 27 year old who has now appeared at three World Cups.

Six minutes later, Dembele doubled the lead in the 66th minute and did so in the most Dembele way imaginable. Morocco had backed off slightly after conceding and Dembele, presented with an invitation to drive at goal, very much accepted it. He ran from the centre of the pitch, cut right past his defender and drilled a low right-footed shot into the bottom right corner. Bounou got a hand to it but the power and placement were good enough to beat him. Two goals in six minutes. France 2-0 Morocco. The match was over as a contest and everyone inside Boston Stadium knew it.

Mbappe was then brought down by Issa Diop, who was cautioned for the challenge, and with France two goals ahead Didier Deschamps made the decision not to risk his most important player. Mbappe was substituted for Jean-Philippe Mateta while Desire Doue came off for Bradley Barcola. Morocco made several changes of their own in search of a goal that never came. Ounahi produced Morocco’s only shot of any note in the entire match, a 23 metre free kick in the dying stages that was on target but comfortably saved by Maignan. The final whistle confirmed 2-0. France were through to the World Cup semi-finals. Morocco, despite another extraordinary tournament, were going home.

The Bouaddi Story. One More Historical Footnote.

I want to briefly acknowledge Ayyoub Bouaddi before moving on to the bigger picture. The 18 year old Lille midfielder who has been one of Morocco’s most energetic and committed performers throughout this tournament became the second youngest player in history to appear in a World Cup quarter-final, with only Pele, who was 17 at the 1958 tournament in Sweden, having done it younger. Bouaddi also became the first ever African player to make five World Cup appearances as a teenager. Neither fact produced a goal for Morocco tonight. But both facts speak to a generation of Moroccan football that is coming, and the 2026 World Cup will have played a significant part in shaping what that generation becomes.

Can France Make It Three Consecutive World Cup Finals?

France reached the World Cup final in 2018 in Russia, where they beat Croatia 4-2. They reached the final again in 2022 in Qatar, where they lost to Argentina 3-3 on penalties after one of the greatest matches ever played. Now they are in the semi-finals of the 2026 World Cup. Only two nations in history have ever appeared in three consecutive World Cup finals. West Germany did it across the 1982, 1986 and 1990 editions, losing the first two before winning the third. Brazil did it across 1994, 1998 and 2002, winning in 1994, losing to France in 1998, and winning again in 2002. France are now ninety minutes away from becoming only the third nation in the history of this competition to reach three consecutive World Cup finals. And the difference between them and West Germany and Brazil is that those two nations both won at least one of their three finals. France are aiming to win both of the finals they have reached in this run. That is an entirely different level of ambition.

Standing between them and that semi-final is the winner of Spain versus Belgium, being played Friday in Los Angeles. Spain, who have now gone 35 games unbeaten, who have not conceded in either of their knockout matches, and who have the form and the tactical organisation to be France’s most dangerous potential opponent at this tournament. Belgium, who have Kevin De Bruyne of Napoli in his last World Cup and a depth of forward quality in De Ketelaere and Lukaku that cannot be dismissed. One of those two sides will face France in the semi-final at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Based on everything I have watched across this tournament, I believe France will beat either of them. I think they will reach a third consecutive World Cup final. And I think they win it.

Mbappe now has 8 tournament goals, tied with Messi for the Golden Boot lead. He has scored in all five of France’s matches at this World Cup. His 60th minute goal tonight was his 20th career World Cup goal, confirmed by CNN and Fox Sports. He is 27 years old.

Dembele now has 5 tournament goals. France are the first team at this World Cup to have two players score five or more goals in a single tournament since Brazil in 2002, when Ronaldo scored eight and Rivaldo scored five. Confirmed by OptaJoe as reported by NBC Sports.

Olise has five assists in this tournament. No player since Pele in 1970 has produced more assists in a single World Cup edition. Confirmed by NBC Sports and GiveMeSport.

Morocco had zero shots on target in 90 minutes. They were the highest-ranked African team in the world going into this match, ranked eighth by FIFA. Confirmed by NBC Sports official match statistics.

Mbappe’s penalty miss ended his streak of 15 consecutive successful penalty attempts. This was his first ever missed penalty at a World Cup. Confirmed by theScore and Yahoo Sports.

The Final Word

I want to say something about Morocco before I close this piece. They came to this World Cup having won the Africa Cup of Nations. They qualified from a difficult group. They knocked out the Netherlands on penalties in the round of 32. They beat Canada 3-0 in the round of 16. And then they lost Saibari to a hamstring injury before the biggest match of their tournament and had to face the best team in the world without their most dangerous attacker. It would be easy to say that Morocco ran out of road tonight in Foxborough. That is true in the most literal sense. But the more accurate explanation is that France in this form, with this squad, with Mbappe and Dembele and Olise all firing, is simply beyond what any team in this tournament can handle for 90 minutes. Morocco had zero shots on target. They were not bad. France were extraordinary.

As for France, I have run out of superlatives. They have now won six matches at this World Cup. They have conceded one goal, the own goal against Cape Verde in the group stage opener, in their entire tournament. They have the leading Golden Boot scorer and the player with the most assists and the highest-rated outfield performer according to multiple statistical models. They are 90 minutes from joining West Germany and Brazil as only the third nation in history to reach three consecutive World Cup finals. I said before this tournament started that France were my pick to win it. Nothing that has happened in Boston tonight, or in any of the five matches before it, has given me any reason to change that view.

Matchday Pundit