Mbappe redeems penalty miss as France knock out Morocco

In partnership with

GOAL

·9 July 2026

Mbappe redeems penalty miss as France knock out Morocco

France advanced to a third consecutive World Cup semi-final with a 2–0 victory over Morocco at Gillette Stadium, repeating the scoreline from their 2022 meeting. After Yassine Bounou saved Kylian Mbappe's 28th-minute penalty to preserve the deadlock, France struck twice in six second-half minutes through Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele to end Morocco's tournament.

Morocco's defensive discipline held for an hour but collapsed once they were forced to chase the game, with both French goals coming from transitions that exploited the spaces left behind. GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from France v Morocco.

OneFootball Videos

Follow the latest World Cup News on Goal.com

Winners

Ousmane Dembele (France)

Dembele delivered a match-winning performance that earned him man of the match honours in Boston. His goal at 66 minutes effectively sealed France's passage to the semi-finals, driving through the middle of the pitch with space before firing a right-footed shot past Bounou into the corner.

Throughout the contest, Dembele created constant danger with his pace and dribbling on the right flank. He headed over from a cross at 18 minutes, fired just wide with his left foot at 33 minutes, and his direct running repeatedly broke Morocco's defensive structure as France dominated territorial control.

Beyond his goal, Dembele's intelligent combination play contributed to Mbappe's opener, with his movement allowing France to stretch Morocco's backline effectively. His performance ensured France converted their dominance into the scoreline their pressure deserved after a frustrating opening hour.

Kylian Mbappe (France)

The French captain turned potential tournament low into decisive contribution within 32 minutes. After Bounou saved his 28th-minute penalty, Mbappe responded by scoring the opener at 60 minutes with a clinical right-footed finish from inside the area after receiving Desire Doue's pass.

Six minutes after breaking the deadlock, Mbappe turned provider, assisting Dembele's clinching second goal to effectively kill the contest. His early threat had been evident from the 4th minute when his shot forced Bounou into a save, and he remained a constant problem for Morocco's defence throughout.

Mbappe's goal-and-assist combination delivered the result despite his earlier failure from the spot, reaching eight World Cup goals in the process. Substituted at 77 minutes with medical staff attending to him, he had already done enough damage to end Morocco's campaign and send France through.

Loser

Noussair Mazraoui (Morocco)

Deployed in an unfamiliar centre-back role due to Morocco's defensive needs, Mazraoui struggled against France's pace and directness. His foul on Mbappe in the 26th minute conceded the penalty that could have shifted the match entirely, though Bounou's save initially spared him.

The positional demands of central defence clearly stretched his capabilities against elite-level attackers. Mbappe and Dembele's direct running repeatedly exposed him throughout the contest, with Mazraoui finding himself isolated when France committed numbers forward in their attacking phases.

While his experience showed in possession phases where he helped Morocco build from the back, his defensive limitations in the unfamiliar role contributed to Morocco's inability to contain France's front line. The tactical gamble of playing him centrally ultimately backfired against attackers of this quality.