France 2-0 Morocco: Mbappe Answers a Missed Penalty in the QF

Kylian Mbappe had his penalty saved in the 28th minute and France still won the quarterfinal by two clear goals. France beat Morocco 2-0 at Boston Stadium in Foxborough on Thursday, July 9, with Mbappe scoring in the 60th minute and setting up Ousmane Dembele six minutes later. Les Bleus are into the World Cup 2026 semifinal, where they meet the winner of Spain and Belgium in Arlington on Tuesday, July 14.

It is the same scoreline by which France beat Morocco in the 2022 semifinal. This time it took an hour to arrive, and the man who missed the penalty is the reason it did.

France 2-0 Morocco: What Happened at Boston Stadium

Mbappe was brought down by a sliding challenge in the box in the first half, and the referee pointed to the spot after a long delay for the VAR check. Mbappe struck a tame spot kick in the 28th minute and Yassine Bounou pushed it away. Morocco's goalkeeper had already saved the Netherlands out of this tournament on penalties in the Round of 32.

France created the better chances and did not convert them. Dayot Upamecano missed a good look early. Bounou made another strong stop from Desire Doue. Lucas Digne struck the crossbar with a swerving effort from distance in first half stoppage time.

The dam broke on the hour. Mbappe curled the opener into the far corner past Bounou in the 60th minute. In the 66th, his ball found Dembele, whose shot crept beyond the goalkeeper for 2-0. Mbappe went down and was replaced by Jean-Philippe Mateta in the 77th minute, which briefly emptied French stomachs.

He addressed it afterward. "I'm all good. I got a knock on the ankle but it's all good," Mbappe said. "JP [Mateta] was more able than me to play the last 15 minutes."

Morocco Ran Out of Attackers

Morocco arrived in the last eight unbeaten, having eliminated the Netherlands on penalties and beaten Canada 3-0. They offered almost nothing going forward on Thursday without Ismael Saibari, whose thigh injury against Canada kept him out of the biggest match of Morocco's tournament. Saibari had three goals and the winning penalty in the shootout before he pulled up.

Take the creator out of a side built to counter, and the counter stops. Morocco bow out at the quarterfinal stage four years after becoming the first African team to reach a World Cup semifinal. Our Morocco 3-0 Canada Round of 16 recap covers the run that got them here.

The Golden Boot Just Flipped

Mbappe is now on eight goals and three assists in this World Cup. Lionel Messi is also on eight, with one assist. Under FIFA's tiebreakers, goals come first, then assists, then fewest minutes played, then fewest penalty goals. On assists, Mbappe leads the 2026 Golden Boot race for the first time.

The rest of the board: Erling Haaland has seven, Harry Kane has six. Both play Saturday in Miami Gardens. Messi plays Saturday night in Kansas City. Three of the top four scorers are on the pitch inside the same 24 hours, which means the top scorer market is going to look nothing on Sunday like it looks today.

One more number worth holding. Mbappe now trails Messi by a single goal on the all time World Cup scoring list.

Betting and DFS Impact

France were the pre match favorite and the market never sweated. The larger repricing is in the outright and Golden Boot markets, not in this result.

Two things move. First, France's path: they meet Spain or Belgium (kickoff 3:00 p.m. ET Friday, July 10 at SoFi Stadium) rather than Argentina or England, and France are chasing a third consecutive World Cup final appearance. Second, the Golden Boot. Mbappe was level on goals and now owns the assist tiebreaker with a semifinal and possibly a final left. If your book still prices Messi ahead on Friday morning, it is pricing the goal column and ignoring the rulebook.

For prop builders, note the penalty. Mbappe converted from the spot to beat Paraguay in the Round of 16, and this one he did not. Anytime scorer numbers for the semifinal will not adjust for a single miss and should not. What does adjust is the assist prop: three helpers in this tournament, one of them Thursday, on a France side that keeps funneling the ball through him in the final third. Read our France 1-0 Paraguay recap for how France have been generating those looks. Reconfirm every price at your book before kickoff, because semifinal lines will not post until the Spain vs Belgium result is final.

What to Watch Next

Mbappe's ankle is the one open file. He called it minor and he was dancing after the whistle, but France train Sunday and the team sheet will tell the truth. Didier Deschamps has four days.

Spain vs Belgium decides the opponent. Spain have not conceded in this tournament. Belgium put four past the United States and are without Amadou Onana, who ruptured his ACL in that match. Our Belgium vs Spain quarterfinal preview has the full read on that one.

Chad AI prices every World Cup prop, To Advance market and Golden Boot line inside the app. Track the reads on our soccer daily picks page, the AI soccer predictions hub and the Chad picks hub. ESPN keeps a running World Cup Golden Boot tracker if you are following the top scorer market.

FAQ

What was the final score of France vs Morocco in the World Cup 2026 quarterfinal? France won 2-0 at Boston Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts on Thursday, July 9. Kylian Mbappe scored in the 60th minute and assisted Ousmane Dembele in the 66th.

Did Mbappe miss a penalty against Morocco? Yes. Mbappe won a first half penalty after a sliding challenge in the box, and Yassine Bounou saved his 28th minute spot kick following a lengthy VAR delay. Mbappe scored from open play in the second half.

Who leads the 2026 World Cup Golden Boot race now? Mbappe and Messi are level on eight goals. Mbappe has three assists to Messi's one, and assists are the first tiebreaker, so Mbappe leads. Haaland has seven and Kane has six.

Who does France play in the World Cup 2026 semifinal? France face the winner of Spain vs Belgium on Tuesday, July 14 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Why was Morocco without Ismael Saibari? Saibari suffered a thigh injury in Morocco's Round of 16 win over Canada and did not play in the quarterfinal. He had scored three goals in the tournament before the injury.

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