France beats Morocco 2-0, sets up semi-final clash with Spain or Belgium

France is through to the semi-finals, and the path there looked about as dramatic as you would expect when Kylian Mbappé is involved.

Les Bleus dispatched Morocco 2-0, with the match’s defining narrative hinging on a single player’s worst moment and then, minutes later, his best.

How it happened

Mbappé stepped up for a first-half penalty and missed. Not the start anyone scripted for the world’s most recognizable forward.

Then the second half began, and Mbappé corrected the record with a goal described as a significant curling effort, restoring the expected order of things.

France added a second to close out the match, leaving Morocco needing to regroup ahead of what the tournament format now demands of them.

The result is a direct echo of the 2022 FIFA World Cup semi-final, where France beat Morocco by the same 2-0 scoreline. For Moroccan supporters, that particular historical parallel is becoming an uncomfortable one.

What comes next

France now waits on the outcome of the Spain versus Belgium fixture, with the winner of that match becoming their semi-final opponent.

Morocco, meanwhile, faces an exit unless the tournament format provides another path forward. The 2022 World Cup run, where Morocco became the first African nation to reach a semi-final, set a benchmark that this edition has so far not matched in terms of result.

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