By Sports Editor
Morocco are out of the 2026 World Cup following a 2-0 defeat to France in their quarter-final clash at the Boston Stadium on Thursday night.
The Atlas Lions were the only African team in the final eight and the continent’s best side, but they put up little of a fight, with just 5 shots against the French’s 22 attempts.
Goals from Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele ensured the Moroccans would not match their record-setting semi-final run at the last World Cup.
The highly anticipated replay of the 2022 semi-final began with cagey undercurrents, overseen by an all-Argentine officiating crew led by Facundo Tello. France had a golden opportunity to take the lead in the 27th minute when a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review confirmed a penalty in their favour. However, Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou dived in the right direction to cradle Mbappé’s spot-kick in his stretched arms.
Mohamed Ouahbi’s compact side was content to frustrate France and barely initiated a meaningful attack of their own.
They paid for their timidity in the second half. Mbappé made amends for his first-half penalty blunder, latching onto a loose ball on the edge of the box to curl a shot past Bounou.
Before the Atlas Lions could recalibrate, Les Bleus struck again just six minutes later. Ousmane Dembélé capitalised on a moment of defensive hesitation to slice a lethal finish into the net, effectively doubling France’s lead and putting the tie out of reach.
Morocco did not get a shot on target until late in the second half, when Azzedine Ounahi curled an effort from distance, but it was a routine save for Mike Maignan.
A minor scare hit the French dugout in the 76th minute when Mbappé was substituted for Jean-Philippe Mateta after a robust challenge from Issa Diop, who was later seen nursing his ankle with an ice pack on the bench.
With this victory, Didier Deschamps’ men become the first team to seal a spot in the semi-finals, where they will face either Spain or Belgium in Arlington next Tuesday.
