The painful script repeated itself almost to the letter. Four years on from the Qatar World Cup semi-final, France knocked Morocco out of the 2026 World Cup at the quarter-final stage with a 2-0 win — the exact scoreline that settled the 2022 tie — ending the Atlas Lions' dream of reaching the last four once again. (ESPN)
Mbappé and Dembélé settle it
France needed the second half to break down Morocco's organised defence. Star man Kylian Mbappé opened the scoring in the 60th minute, before Ousmane Dembélé added a second in the 66th to put the game almost beyond reach. Notably, Mbappé had missed a first-half penalty, but made up for it with a goal and an assist to lead Les Bleus into the semi-finals and top the tournament's Golden Boot race. (Olympics.com) (CNN)
Numbers that tell a story of control
The stats reflected clear French superiority: Les Bleus dominated the shot count 21 to 4, and shots on target 8 to 1. Yet despite that control, Morocco produced a brave defensive display and held out for a long time, hampered by the absence of forward Ismael Saibari, which robbed them of an important attacking weapon. (Al Jazeera)
Out with heads held high
Despite the bitterness of the repeat, Morocco leave the tournament having again proved they are an Arab and African football force to be reckoned with, after an unbeaten run to the quarter-finals. France, meanwhile, set up a semi-final against Spain, who overcame Belgium, in a mouth-watering European clash on the doorstep of the final.
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