The French national team became a semifinalist of the 2026 World Cup for the third consecutive time, defeating Morocco 2:0. The victory allowed 'Les Bleus' not only to continue the fight for the title but also to repeat two historical achievements that had previously only been attained by football giants. This was reported by Champion.
France reached the semifinals of the 2026 World Cup after defeating Morocco
The French started the match actively, creating several dangerous moments early on. Kylian Mbappe and Dayot Upamecano were close to scoring, but Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou saved his team.
In the 25th minute, Mbappe earned a penalty after a foul by Noussair Mazraoui. The striker took the penalty himself, but Bounou guessed the direction of the shot and saved the ball.
The score was opened only after halftime. In the 60th minute, Mbappe capitalized on a defensive mistake and accurately shot into the far corner of the net. A few minutes later, Ousmane Dembele, after a pass from Michael Olise, established the final score - 2:0.
The Moroccans tried to get back into the game, but were unable to convert their chances.
France set two records at the 2026 World Cup
This victory was historic for several reasons.
Firstly, the French national team reached the World Cup semifinals for the third consecutive time. Previously, only the national teams of Germany and Brazil achieved such a result.
Secondly, the head coach of the French team, Didier Deschamps, played his 25th match at the World Cups. With this achievement, he equaled the legendary coach of the FRG national team, Helmut Schön, who previously held the record alone.
The match also repeated the semifinal of the 2022 World Cup, where France also defeated Morocco with a score of 2:0.
In addition, the French team continued their unbeaten streak in matches against the 'Atlas Lions'. Throughout the history of their encounters, France has already won five times, with two games ending in a draw.
It should be noted that France is filing a protest regarding a yellow card shown to Olise in the 2026 World Cup match.