Full Time
France beat Morocco 2-0 to reach a third straight World Cup semi-final — and somehow landed on the exact same scoreline as their 2022 semi meeting between these two. Mbappe missed a first-half penalty, which could have been costly, but made up for it with a lovely curled finish just after the hour; Dembele added a second six minutes later to put it beyond doubt. No late drama, no red cards, just France doing what France seem to do to Morocco in this fixture. Morocco's tournament ends here after an impressive run; France move on to the semis to await their next opponent.
Pre-match Talking Points
-
1Win this and France are one step from a third straight final, something only one other European country has managed. Lose it and Deschamps' last tournament in charge ends in the quarters, which would sting given how much of this squad has been built around Mbappé. For Morocco, they're already the first African side to reach a World Cup quarterfinal more than once, so nothing from here is anything but bonus history.
-
2These two have actually met once before at a World Cup, and it wasn't pretty for Morocco. Qatar 2022 semi-final, Theo Hernandez in inside five minutes, Kolo Muani wrapping it up late, 2-0 to France in what was Morocco's big moment ending the only way France let it. This is Morocco's chance to rewrite that particular script.
-
3Watch Achraf Hakimi, Morocco's captain, who spends most of his club career lining up alongside Mbappé for France's benefit rather than against him. Tonight he's the one tasked with stopping his mate, who's already scored seven at this tournament and sits second only to Messi on the all-time World Cup goals list. Awkward group chat later, either way.
-
4Big blow for Morocco: Ismael Saibari, their top scorer with three goals including the winning penalty against the Dutch, is out with a hamstring injury picked up against Canada. Soufiane Rahimi steps in to lead the line instead. On the France side, Tchouaméni's a fitness doubt in midfield, so Manu Kone is expected to fill in alongside Rabiot.
-
5Mbappé is stacking up World Cup goals like nobody since Messi, and a big night here puts him firmly in Golden Boot territory. But the neater story might be Morocco, back in the quarterfinals four years after that Qatar semi-final run captured the world's attention, trying to prove it wasn't a one-off. Beat the reigning finalists and it very much isn't.
Team Talking Points
-
1France finished the World Cup in fourth place after losing the third-place play-off 6-4 to England in Miami last night — genuinely one of the wildest scorelines of the whole tournament. Ten goals in a match both managers openly said they wished didn't exist is very on-brand for how that fixture always plays out.
-
2Kylian Mbappé scored twice in the defeat and became the all-time leading World Cup goalscorer, taking his tally to 22 and passing Lionel Messi's previous record of 21. Slightly awkward timing — he made history in a match his team lost 6-4, so lead with the record, not the scoreline, and you'll sound like you know what you're talking about.
-
3It was also Didier Deschamps' final game in charge of France after 14 years, during which he won the 2018 World Cup and reached the 2022 final. Bowing out with a 6-4 defeat in a play-off nobody wanted isn't the send-off anyone would have scripted, but a World Cup winner's medal means his legacy was never really in question.
-
4France were already down to a patched-up defence, having lost William Saliba to a back injury in the semi-final loss to Spain. England took full advantage, with Bukayo Saka running riot — handy context for anyone wondering how a team this good let in six.
-
5France arrived as reigning runners-up and one of the pre-tournament favourites; they leave in fourth after a semi-final defeat to Spain and a chaotic play-off loss. It's a comedown by their own recent standards, even if 'officially the fourth-best team on the planet' is still not a bad way to end a World Cup.
🍺
Top thing to say down the pub
Mbappé became the all-time World Cup top scorer last night — 22 goals, more than Messi ever managed — and somehow still finished on the losing side of a 6-4.
🚫
Avoid saying
"At least they racked up a good goal tally" — congratulating France on how many goals went in during a match they lost 6-4 is not the flex it sounds like, and any real fan will hear it as exactly the wrong takeaway.
-
1Morocco's tournament ended in the quarterfinal, beaten 2-0 by France on July 9 — Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé did the damage. No shame in that scoreline: France went on to the final, and Morocco kept it level for the best part of an hour before the quality told.
-
2The high point was the round of 32 — Morocco beat the Netherlands, one of the tournament's form teams, on penalties (1-1 after extra time, 3-2 on spot kicks) on June 29. They followed it up by dismantling co-hosts Canada 3-0 in the round of 16, with Azzedine Ounahi scoring twice.
-
3That run means Morocco have now reached the quarterfinals or better in back-to-back World Cups — this one following their famous 2022 semifinal. No African nation has ever managed consecutive tournaments that deep. That's not a small thing to drop into conversation.
-
4Yassine Bounou, the veteran goalkeeper, was the wall behind all of it — his saves kept Canada's best players out in the round of 16. Brahim Diaz, playing further forward, quietly set an African record with his fourth assist of the tournament.
-
5Morocco co-host the 2030 World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal, so there's not much time to sulk about this one. Next time round they might not even need to get on a plane.
🍺
Top thing to say down the pub
Back-to-back quarterfinals or better is a record no African nation has matched — Morocco are quietly one of the most consistent sides in the world right now, home continent or not.
🚫
Avoid saying
Don't say 'shame it wasn't as good as 2022' — reaching the last eight (or better) in consecutive World Cups is a genuinely historic achievement. Undersell it and you'll sound like you weren't paying attention either time.