Barca World Cup Spotlight: Jules Kounde continues to remain solid for France | OneFootball

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is reaching its business end, with the quarter-finals now upon us. France took on Morocco last night in the first of those games.

With just eight games left, including the one that took place last night, the anticipation for football’s biggest event reaching its finale is palpable.

France and Morocco came into this game with the latter as underdogs, having to punch above their weight to stop Kylian Mbappe and company.

However, Les Bleus’ juggernaut looked unstoppable yet again, with goals from Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele helping them to a 2-0 win.

Morocco stayed solid in a low block to defend France’s attacks and broke whenever there was a chance, but injuries did not do them any favours.

The absence of Saibari in the front line meant that Morocco had no presence there who could be on the end of those counter-attacks.

France’s defence were extremely solid on the night as well. They did not allow their opponents to get a whiff of goal.

Jules Kounde was solid for France vs Morocco. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

At this point, Didier Deschamps’ side continue to motor on without any noticeable chinks in the armour and wait to see who, between Spain and Belgium, they face in the semi-finals.

From a Barcelona perspective, Kounde had yet another solid display in defence and going forward. Here is how he fared.

Jules Kounde vs Morocco

Jules Kounde moved one step closer to the biggest game in football, and he did it with the kind of performance that rarely dominates headlines but often decides knockout ties.

Morocco had arrived with belief, structure and the memory of 2022, but France gradually forced them into survival mode.

For the Barça man, this was a serious test of discipline.

Morocco’s plan included using Chemsdine Talbi on the left, with the idea of attacking Kounde’s side and forcing France’s right-back into uncomfortable defensive situations.

That threat never really exploded. Talbi did not get much chance to run at Kounde, and instead spent much of the game tracking his forward movement.

Kounde and France have qualified for the World Cup semi-final. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)

From a Barça perspective, that is exactly the version of Kounde supporters want to see.

He may not always look like a natural attacking full-back, but he gives a team security, aggression and control in difficult spaces.

Against Morocco, he had to balance two jobs. When France had the ball, he needed to push high enough to support the attack and keep Morocco stretched.

When possession turned over, he had to recover quickly and prevent Morocco from building momentum down his side.

Kounde was replaced by Malo Gusto in the 86th minute, a straight swap at right-back as France looked to manage the final stretch. By then, the main work had been done.

After a poor club season, the French defender has returned to his best level during the World Cup, and this bodes well for the Catalan club.

An in-form Kounde would be a blessing in disguise for Hansi Flick’s side next season, and it remains to be seen how his World Cup plays out.