France’s forward #10 Kylian Mbappe (L) and head coach Didier Deschamps hug as he leaves the pitch after being substituted during the 2026 World Cup football tournament quarter-final match between France and Morocco at Boston Stadium in Foxborough on July 9, 2026. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP)
Kylian Mbappe recovered from having a first-half penalty saved to score a magnificent opener that set France on their way to a 2-0 win over Morocco in their World Cup quarter-final showdown on Thursday.
Mbappe’s weak spot-kick was easily saved by Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, but he made up for that by producing a brilliant curling finish to make it 1-0 on the hour mark.
That was Mbappe’s eighth goal at the tournament, moving him level again with Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot, before he came off late on and watched the final minutes with an ice pack around his right ankle.
Before exiting, he set up Ousmane Dembele to run through and settle the contest watched by 63,811 at the Gillette Stadium, as France knocked Morocco out, just as they did in 2022.
