FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — France advanced to the World Cup semifinal with a 2-0 quarterfinal win over Morocco at Gillette Stadium, overcoming a tense first half to break through in the second.
The match looked evenly poised through 45 minutes. France dominated possession early and created the better chances, but could not convert. Kylian Mbappé nearly opened the scoring in the fourth minute when his shot narrowly missed the left post. In the 25th minute Mbappé won a penalty after a challenge near the Morocco goal, but a lengthy VAR review delayed the kick. When he finally took it, Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou dove to his right and saved the weak attempt.
Morocco, which had not been able to register a shot until stoppage time in the first half, had defended resolutely despite the heat — kickoff temperature was about 89 degrees — and a full crowd of just over 64,000 wanted more entering the break.
France’s pressure paid off in the second half. In the 60th minute Mbappé unleashed a brilliant long-range strike that beat Bounou and opened the scoring. The goal was Mbappé’s eighth of this tournament, a record 12th goal in World Cup knockout-round play, and the 20th of his World Cup career. Six minutes later Mbappé set up Ousmane Dembélé, who slipped through Morocco’s defense to make it 2-0.
Mbappé was substituted in the 77th minute with a slight limp and sat on the bench with an ice pack on his right ankle. Issa Diop received the match’s only yellow card for a foul on Mbappé.
Morocco continued to press late and created several chances but could not find a way past the French defense. Their rise to consistent contention at the World Cup has been driven in part by significant national investment: the country built a modern training academy some 15 years ago, and officials and observers say that investment, along with outreach to the Moroccan diaspora, has helped bring talent into the national program. As a recent commentator noted, a number of players born or raised in Europe are choosing to represent Morocco. One example is 18-year-old midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, born in France to Moroccan parents, who turned down overtures from France to play for Morocco.
France will meet the winner of the Spain–Belgium quarterfinal in the semifinal next Tuesday. NPR’s Jasmine Garsd reported from Foxborough, and Russell Lewis reported from Birmingham, Ala.