This was a fair decision by FIFA: former USMNT player
Former US men’s national team defender Jonathan Bornstein discusses FIFA’s controversial decision to reverse Balogun’s red card suspension, allowing him to play in the decisive World Cup round of 16 match. Bornstein explains why the decision was “correct”, contrasting it with the Norwegian coach’s criticism. The United States will face Belgium, first classified.
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For the second consecutive World Cup, France sent Morocco home with a 2-0 victory.
In 2022, it was a historic semi-final as Morocco became the first African team to reach that stage of the tournament. But France defeated them and reached the final of the World Cup in Qatar.
Four years later, history repeated itself in the quarter-finals, when Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé scored second-half goals to return France to the semi-finals.
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Kylian Mbappé of France celebrates after scoring his team’s first goal during the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarterfinal match between France and Morocco at Boston Stadium on July 9, 2026 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Daniela Porcelli/Getty Images)
France will now wait for the winner of Spain and Belgium, who will face each other on Friday at 3 p.m. in Los Angeles.
Like Paraguay in the round of 16 against France, Morocco clearly focused on its defense, ensuring that players like Mbappé did not have easy routes to score.
The match started well, although France immediately went on the offensive and stayed that way throughout the match. However, Morocco faltered when a foul was committed in their own area, forcing a penalty.
KYLIAN MBAPPÉ’S SEVENTH GOAL IN THE WORLD CUP LEFTS FRANCE OVERCOMING PARAGUAY IN THE PHYSICAL SHEEP MATCH OF 16
Mbappé approached the ball, but the main referee was waiting for the signal to see if it was necessary to check the VAR before taking the penalty. The referee awarded a penalty on the field, but it frustrated Mbappé, who had to keep repeating his routine several times before finally getting the chance.
Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine “Bono” Bounou read Mbappé like a book, as the French superstar tried to coax him to move before his shot. But Bounou stood as a statue before leaping to his left and keeping the scoreline quiet in the first half.
Morocco did not have its first real scoring opportunity until injury time, highlighting France’s control of the match. It seemed only a matter of time before Les Bleus finally broke through.
French striker Ousmane Dembélé celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the quarterfinal match of the 2026 World Cup soccer tournament between France and Morocco at Boston Stadium in Foxborough on July 9, 2026. (CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP)
After returning to their offensive form in the second half, they let Mbappé find enough space inside the Morocco box, with defenders around him, to fire a perfectly placed shot past a diving Bounou and score his eighth goal of the World Cup.
Mbappé is tied with Lionel Messi of Argentina for the lead in this World Cup, in addition to having 20 in his career. Messi, who broke the all-time World Cup goals record early in the group stage, has 21 goals.
When Morocco finally conceded the goal, France began to find more space as their opponent was forced to open up in search of an equalizer. Dembélé took advantage of one of those gaps perfectly.
In the 66th minute, Dembélé, using his weaker right foot, shot low towards Bounou’s goal. Although the Moroccan goalkeeper had a hand on him, he didn’t get enough and the ball went into the back of the net.
At that moment, France knew they had the space they needed on the scoreboard to hold on to the match. Although Morocco tried, they could not achieve anything, and Didier Deschamps’ team once again demonstrated how dominant they can be during this World Cup by advancing to the semi-finals.
French striker Kylian Mbappé and Moroccan midfielder Azzedine Ounahi fight for the ball during the quarterfinal match of the 2026 World Cup soccer tournament between France and Morocco at Boston Stadium in Foxborough on July 9, 2026. (FRANCK FIFE/AFP)
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France will play on July 14 at 3 p.m. in Dallas, where they could face a Spanish team that has not yet conceded a goal in this tournament, or a Belgian team that eliminated the United States team to reach the quarterfinals.
