By Opta Analyst | Created at 2026-07-18 17:28:13 | Updated at 2026-08-04 04:40:41
3 weeks ago
Just like Lionel Messi on Tuesday, Kylian Mbappé scored, assisted and was denied from the penalty spot as France overcame Morocco in this FIFA World Cup quarter-final tie.
Kylian Mbappé recovered from a saved penalty to score a glorious goal and assist Ousmane Dembélé as France booked their place in the World Cup semi-finals by beating Morocco 2-0 at Boston Stadium.
Mbappé was felled by Noussair Mazraoui for a first-half spot-kick but, following a long wait, the Real Madrid superstar saw his weak effort kept out by Yassine Bounou.
However, Mbappé was not to be denied after the interval as he picked out the far corner with an inch-perfect curler to move level with Lionel Messi in the 2026 Golden Boot race, while also moving within one of the Argentine’s all-time World Cup record of 21 goals.
And the tie was effectively over when Mbappé turned provider for Dembélé shortly afterwards, though the sight of Mbappé applying ice to his ankle after being substituted will be a slight concern ahead of Les Bleus facing Spain or Belgium next week.
France came roaring out of the blocks as Mbappé saw a 20-yard drive turned behind by Bounou, and after the resulting corner was worked short, the Morocco goalkeeper also had to be on guard to repel Dayot Upamecano’s close-range header.
Didier Deschamps’ team then had a golden opportunity to go in front when Mazraoui scythed Mbappé down on the left side of the area in the 25th minute.
However, three minutes and 11 seconds passed before the spot-kick was taken, and that delay seemed to affect Mbappé as his tame kick was held by Bounou down to his left.
France remained utterly dominant for the rest of the half but still could not find a way past Bounou, who got down again to thwart Désiré Doué before Lucas Digne let fly with a dipping, 35-yard strike that cannoned off the crossbar.
But Morocco’s resistance was finally broken on the hour mark as Doue slipped a lovely pass through the legs of Neil El Aynaoui to find Mbappé, who opened up his body and whipped a sensational effort past Bounou from the edge of the box.
It was 2-0 only six minutes later as Dembélé took in a simple lay-off from Mbappé before advancing towards the edge of the area and shooting, with a touch from the outstretched hand of Bounou not enough to prevent it from nestling in the bottom corner.
Mbappé was later replaced by Jean-Philippe Mateta after going down with no other players in the vicinity. That appeared to be a precaution as he waved to supporters before taking his place on the bench, and though he was later seen applying an ice pack on the bench, he then seemed to be moving well during France’s post-match celebrations.
Morocco finally looked to build some attacking momentum late on, but a comeback never looked likely after an El Aynaoui header flashed wide, with Bradley Barcola almost adding a late third for France.
Mbappé Continues Messi Duel as France Book Semi-Final Spot
There have only been four occasions in the last 60 years that a player has missed a penalty, scored and assisted in a World Cup game, and two of those have come in the last three days.
On Tuesday, it was Messi in Argentina’s comeback win over Egypt, and here, it was Mbappé who took the headlines.
Although France were frustrated for the first hour of the game before Mbappé had his say, in a similar manner to their last-16 win over Paraguay. Les Bleus racked up 1.87 expected goals (xG) in the first half alone – the most by any team when failing to score by the interval at this tournament.
Bounou’s penalty save, meanwhile, was his fourth at World Cups (including shoot-outs) – the most by any goalkeeper on record (since 1966). He has faced nine spot-kicks overall in the competition and only been beaten twice (also three off target).
But there was nothing he could do about Mbappé’s superb opener, which ensured the 2026 World Cup is the first edition ever to see two players score eight or more goals, with the Frenchman becoming only the second player in tournament history to reach 20 goals overall, after Argentina icon Messi.
Mbappé is also the first player to ever achieve 10 or more goal involvements at multiple World Cups, with his eight goals and three assists at this edition bettering his return from 2022 (eight goals, two assists).
Our Opta match centre delivers you all the France vs Morocco stats from their 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-final meeting at the Boston Stadium on 9 July 2026.
The match centre below includes team and player stats, expected goals data, passing networks, an Opta chalkboard and more. It gives you everything you need to do your own match analysis.
Underneath the match centre you can find the official Opta stats on the game as well.
France 2-0 Morocco: Post-Match Opta Facts
- France will now play in their eighth FIFA World Cup semi-final, equalling Brazil, with only Germany (12) qualifying for more.
- Across the last two FIFA World Cup tournaments, Morocco have suffered just two defeats to nil, and both have been 2-0 losses to France (2022 semi-final, 2026 quarter-final).
- In Kylian Mbappé (8) and Ousmane Dembélé (5), France are only the second side in the last 50 years to have two players score 5+ goals at the same FIFA World Cup tournament, after Brazil in 2002 (Ronaldo 8, Rivaldo 5).
- France earned their 20th FIFA World Cup win under Didier Deschamps – making him the first manager to oversee 20 wins at the finals. This was his 25th World Cup match in charge overall, equalling Helmut Schön’s record.
- African nations have been eliminated from four of their five FIFA World Cup quarter-finals, the only exception being Morocco’s 1-0 win over Portugal in 2022.
- Kylian Mbappé has now registered 10+ goal involvements in both of the last two FIFA World Cups (8 goals, 2 assists in 2022, 8 goals 3 assists in 2026) – he’s only the only player on record (since 1966) to achieve this in two different tournaments. His 11 in 2026 are the most by a single player since Gerd Müller in 1970 (10 goals, 3 assists).
- Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou has saved four FIFA World Cup penalties (incl. shootouts), the joint-most of any goalkeeper on record (from 1966 – 5 others on 4 saves). Indeed, Bounou has faced nine penalties at the finals, and just two of those have been scored (4 saves, 3 missed target).
Enjoy this? Add Opta Analyst as a preferred source by clicking here.
Enjoy this? Subscribe to our football newsletter to receive exclusive weekly content. You should also follow our social accounts over on X, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.
