France 2-0 Morocco: Mbappe Fires Les Bleus Into Semi-Finals

Result

France 2-0 Morocco. Two goals in six second-half minutes settled the first quarter-final and sent France into the semi-finals for the second World Cup running. Kylian Mbappe opened the scoring on the hour, finishing a pass from Desire Doue, then turned provider for Ousmane Dembele to make it two shortly after. Morocco gave everything but could not find a way through a French defence that has now kept three clean sheets in five knockout matches.

It was a contest that tightened as it went on. Morocco defended deep and well in the first half, forcing France to be patient. Mbappe's breakthrough changed the geometry of the match entirely, and Dembele's follow-up removed any doubt about the outcome.

Pool impact

France were the sensible Last Man Standing pick in this round and they delivered exactly what was asked of them: a clean sheet, a two-goal margin, and no late drama. For pool players trying to conserve stronger picks for the semi-finals, France here was the textbook call. They won without needing their very best and kept options open for later rounds.

For Score Predictor, 2-0 was among the most popular exact-score selections and it paid out cleanly. France's habit of winning without conceding makes them one of the more predictable sides in the tournament from a scoring standpoint, which is gold for Score Predictor players.

Pre-match forecasts

Most forecasts had France as clear favourites, and the question was less about the winner than the margin. Morocco had already knocked out the Netherlands and co-hosts Canada and carried genuine threat on the break. But France have won every match at this tournament and their control of knockout ties has been methodical. The two-goal margin matched the pre-match consensus almost exactly.

Standout stats

Mbappe's goal was his eighth of the tournament, keeping him at the top of the Golden Boot race. He also registered an assist, meaning he has now been directly involved in 10 goals across France's five matches. Morocco managed only a single shot on target, which tells you how little joy they had against Maignan's goal. France have now reached back-to-back World Cup semi-finals.

What comes next

France will face the winner of Spain against Belgium for a place in the World Cup final. On this form they look like the most complete side left in the tournament. Morocco leave with enormous pride, having reached a second consecutive quarter-final and beaten the Netherlands and Canada along the way.

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