​Although it took an hour to finally crack the stubborn Morocco defense, France secured a 2-0 victory in Boston thanks to second-half goals from Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé, setting up a Bastille Day semi-final against either Spain or Belgium. The match unfolded with Morocco adopting a compact, resolute approach reminiscent of South American teams, as they maintained defensive discipline in the opening period and limited France’s clear-cut opportunities. France dominated possession but often found themselves short of penetrating passes or killer moments. Mbappé and Dayot Upamecano tested Yassine Bounou early on, and Désiré Doué forced another save from the Moroccan keeper, with Lucas Digne striking the crossbar as the clock approached half-time. The best moment before the break arrived from a penalty after Mbappé was brought down in the area. The referee, a Argentinian official, kept Mbappé waiting for more than three minutes before he took the spot-kick. The delay seemed to unsettle him; the striker fired a tepid effort that Bounou saved comfortably, leaving France ahead on points but with nothing tangible to show for it at the break.
Morocco returned with greater ambition after the restart, which ultimately played into France’s hands by giving them more space to operate. Doué came close early in the second half, and a deft double touch from Michael Olise released Mbappé, who fired over the bar—but was correctly flagged offside in any case. Four minutes after that chance, Mbappé gathered the ball on the edge of the box, shielded by Issa Diop, and curled a shot into the far top corner. It was a momentous strike, marking Mbappé’s 20th goal in 20 World Cup matches and his eighth of this tournament, placing him level with Lionel Messi at the summit of the scoring charts. With the deficit widening, Morocco were compelled to press forward and leave more gaps at the back. Six minutes after Mbappé’s opener, Dembélé seized the moment, sprinting onto an Mbappé flick and shooting early past Bounou to double the lead.
From that point, France largely controlled the proceedings, easing into a comfortable rhythm as they saw out the match. The closest Morocco came to pulling a goal back was a late slice from Upamecano that sailed narrowly over the bar. Deschamps used the opportunity to rotate and hand minutes to a number of squad players off the bench, including Warren Zaïre-Emery in his first major-tournament appearance. Jean-Philippe Mateta made a few late runs that provided optimism but did not alter the outcome, and France celebrated a place in the semi-finals with their fans, a testament to their solidity and tactical discipline over the 90 minutes.
In the squads’ review, Mike Maignan had little to do but produced a calm performance, including a solid regulation save and reliable handling of crosses to preserve the two-goal advantage. Jules Koundé continued to grow into the tournament, rarely tested defensively while contributing offensively at a modest but effective rate. Dayot Upamecano, for his part, remained a dominant presence, though his second-half error and a wayward header briefly threatened the clean sheet, momentarily tempting debates about potential improvements for future fixtures. Overall, France’s performance blended patience, clinical finishing after the break, and disciplined defending, delivering the win they needed and signaling their readiness for the challenges that lie ahead in the knockout stage.