The French national team defeated its counterpart, Morocco, two goals to nil, in the match that brought the two teams together on Thursday evening, for the quarter-final round of the 2026 World Cup tournament.
The events of the match, which was held at Boston Stadium in the United States of America, were of a good level, amid almost complete control by the French national team, especially in the first half.
The French national team started the match with great offensive power, through successive shots, most of which Yassine Bounou, the Moroccan goalkeeper, saved, while the defense turned the rest into corner kicks or cleared the ball to safe areas.
The French national team almost took the lead in the 27th minute, after Kylian Mbappé was awarded a penalty kick following a foul inside the penalty area by Noussair Mazraoui, the Atlas Lions defender.
Yassine Bounou, the Moroccan goalkeeper, excelled in saving the penalty kick, after Mbappé shot it weakly into the left corner, which the Saudi Al-Hilal goalkeeper dived into, easily clearing it away from his team's net.
In the second half, the Moroccan national team was unable to continue its resilience, as Kylian Mbappé managed to score the first goal in the 60th minute with a precise shot that nestled into the far corner of Bounou's goal.
In the 66th minute, Ousmane Dembélé succeeded in scoring France's second goal, after receiving a ball in midfield, then advancing and shooting a low ball that struck goalkeeper Bounou's hand and nestled into Morocco's net.
Morocco's performance improved after falling behind by two goals to nil, especially with the substitutions made by Didier Deschamps, the French coach, who decided to rest the team's stars; however, the Atlas Lions were still unable to reduce the deficit or come back in the scoreline.
This is the second consecutive time that the Moroccan national team has exited the World Cup at the hands of France, as the Roosters had previously eliminated their counterpart, the Atlas Lions, from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar in the semi-final round.
The United States of America is hosting the 2026 World Cup, along with Mexico and Canada, with the participation of 48 teams for the first time in the tournament's history, during the period from June 11 to July 19 next.
