The French team continued its impressive pace in the 2026 World Cup by advancing to the semifinals for the third consecutive time. The Gauls beat an unrecognizable Moroccan team 2-0, whose timorous and reserved style handed the match on a silver platter to the European giant.

The squad led by Didier Deschamps was highly respected. This was noticeable from the beginning with the tactical scheme designed by Mohamed Ouahbi, a coach who had been hired precisely for his offensive philosophy.

However, in the most crucial duel, the strategist did not want to play face to face. He decided to wait with a fearful attitude, far from that daring style that faced Brazil, Scotland and Haiti in the group stage, and that later eliminated the Netherlands and Canada.

The drama of the first half: Bounou wins the psychological duel against Mbappé

Surprisingly, France went into the break without an advantage. For the first 45 minutes, Morocco assumed a completely passive stance, planting two well-ordered four-man lines in front of Yassine Bounou's goal.

French dominance was absolute with an imposing attack led by Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise, Désiré Doué, Manu Koné and Adrien Rabiot. This block constantly supported Kylian Mbappé, but the North African defense resisted the attacks without breaking.

The great opportunity to open the lock came from the eleven steps. However, in a surprising mental duel, Mbappé missed the penalty by delivering the ball directly into Bounou's hands. In addition to this failure, the Gauls' clearest chance was a powerful shot by Rabiot that hit the crossbar.

On the Moroccan side, the all-out defensive approach drew attention. Good-footed players like Chemsdine Talbi and Bilal El Khannouss looked tied up and afraid to ask for the ball. Even their flying full-backs, Achraf Hakimi and Anass Salah-Eddine, showed a very restrained version to that exhibited in previous matches.

Deschamps does not forgive: Mbappé and Dembélé finish in Foxboro

For the second half, Morocco wanted to modify its posture by advancing lines and looking for Mike Maignan's goal. The reality is that they continued dying of nothing. They exhibited a football attitude far from the team that brightened the tournament, frustrating the long-awaited revenge in Qatar 2022.

France took what the Moroccans allowed and in just six minutes they solved the story. Kylian Mbappé pulled out the thorn in the 60th minute by scoring the first, and Ousmane Dembélé buried the hopes in the 66th minute, thus making up for a previous phase in which he had been questioned for his lack of punch.

With the final 2-0 in Foxboro, Massachusetts, France is already in the semifinals of the 2026 World Cup, where it patiently awaits the winner of the clash between Spain and Belgium.