This was a fair decision by FIFA: Former USMNT player
Former US men’s team defender Jonathan Bornstein discusses FIFA’s controversial decision to overturn Balogun’s red card suspension, allowing him to play in the critical World Cup round of 16 match. Bornstein explains why the call was “correct” and contrasts it with the Norwegian coach’s criticism. The USA faces top-ranked Belgium.
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For the second World Cup in a row, France sent Morocco home with a 2-0 victory.
In 2022, it was a historic semi-final as Morocco became the first ever African team to reach that stage of the tournament. But France defeated them to reach the World Cup final in Qatar.
Four years later, history repeated itself in the quarter-finals as Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé scored second-half goals to send France back to the semi-finals.
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Kylian Mbappe of France celebrates after scoring his team’s first goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-final match between France and Morocco at Boston Stadium on July 9, 2026 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Daniela Porcelli/Getty Images)
France now awaits the winner of Spain and Belgium, who meet each other on Friday at 3pm in Los Angeles.
Like Paraguay in the Round of 16 against France, Morocco clearly focused on their defense and made sure the likes of Mbappé didn’t have easy lanes to score.
It worked to start the game, although France were immediately on the offensive and stayed there throughout. However, Morocco faltered when a foul was committed in their own half, forcing a penalty.
KYLIAN MBAPPE’S SEVENTH WORLD CUP GOAL LEADS FRANCE OVER PARAGUAY IN PHYSICAL ROUND OF 16 MATCH
Mbappé stepped straight up to the ball but the referee waited for the signal to see if a VAR check was needed before the penalty could be taken. The referee called it a penalty on the pitch, but he got Mbappé frustrated as he had to continue doing his routine several times before finally getting the chance.
Morocco goalkeeper Yassine “Bono” Bounou read Mbappé like a book as the French superstar tried to coax him into moving before his kick. But Bounou stood like a statue before diving to his left and keeping the scoreboard silent in the first half.
Morocco did not register their first real scoring chance until stoppage time, underscoring France’s control of the match. It felt like only a matter of time before Les Bleus finally broke through.
France forward Ousmane Dembele celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the 2026 FIFA World Cup soccer tournament quarter-final match between France and Morocco at Boston Stadium in Foxborough on July 9, 2026. (CHARLY TRIBALEAU/AFP)
After returning to their attacking ways in the second half, they left it to Mbappé to find just enough space inside Morocco’s box, with defenders draped around him, to fire a perfectly placed kick past a diving Bounou for his eighth goal of the World Cup.
Mbappé is tied with Argentina’s Lionel Messi for the lead in this World Cup, while he also has 20 for his career. Messi, who broke World Cup records earlier in the group stage, is up to 21 goals.
With Morocco finally conceding, France began to find more space as their opponents were forced to open up in search of an equaliser. Dembélé exploited one of these holes to perfection.
In the 66th minute, Dembélé, using his weaker right foot, kept a screamer low towards Bounou’s net. Although Morocco’s goalkeeper got a hand on it, he didn’t get enough as it seeped into the net.
At this point, France knew they had the space they needed on the scoreboard to ride out the game. Although Morocco tried, they couldn’t get anything going and Didier Deschamps’ men proved once again how dominant they can be at this World Cup as they progressed to the semi-finals.
France’s forward Kylian Mbappe and Morocco’s midfielder Azzedine Ounahi fight for the ball during the 2026 World Cup soccer tournament quarter-final match 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 yet to concede a goal in this tournament, or a Belgian team that eliminated Team USA to reach the quarterfinals.
