FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) 鈥� spread his arms out wide and spun around after scoring his eighth goal of this year鈥檚 . He later gave the jubilant France fans dotted around the stadium a wave when he left the game because of an injury scare.
Les Bleus, with a star striker who said he’s fine despite a right ankle issue, are headed back to the semifinals for the third straight World Cup tournament.
Mbapp茅 had a goal and an assist after missing a first-half penalty kick, Ousmane Demb茅l茅 also scored and two-time champion France beat Morocco 2-0 Thursday in the quarterfinals.
鈥淭here鈥檚 only one way to relax, and that鈥檚 by winning. Until we鈥檝e done that, we don鈥檛 let up,鈥� Mbapp茅 said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e in the semifinals and we鈥檙e very happy, but there鈥檚 still a long way to go.鈥�
Mbapp茅鈥檚 goal in the 60th minute was the 20th of his World Cup career and came in his 20th match at the tournament, moving him one behind Argentina captain Lionel Messi. Demb茅l茅 scored his fifth goal of the tournament in the 66th.
Mbapp茅 went down to the ground in the 76th minute, about 13 minutes after being hit hard by a Moroccan defender, and was taken off for a substitute a minute later. He was then shown sitting on the bench with an ice pack on his right ankle.
After the match and with both shoes on, Mbapp茅 ran and jumped in celebration with his teammates.
鈥淚 took a knock to the ankle, but I鈥檓 fine,” Mbapp茅 said. 鈥淎t that point, JP (Jean-Philippe Mateta) was in better shape than I was to play the final minutes.鈥�
France will face either Spain or Belgium in the semifinals in Dallas on Tuesday.
France beat Morocco by the same score in the semifinals of the 2022 tournament in Qatar when the Atlas Lions became the first African team to make it that far. France now remains on track to become only the third nation to play in the final of three consecutive World Cups.
鈥淚t is a confirmation of how we鈥檝e played so far,鈥� said France coach Didier Deschamps, who added there is a reason for his team’s success in recent World Cups.
鈥淗aving great players. Excellent players. My credit goes to the players. But maybe I do my job well,” he said. “The only truth is the one on the pitch.鈥�
Mbapp茅 got his goal with a perfectly placed shot just inside the far post after Morocco failed to clear the ball. He received the ball just outside the area, took a couple steps forward and then sent his shot sailing into the net. He extended both arms and ran to the sideline to celebrate with his teammates.
France’s second goal came after Mbapp茅 took a pass and tapped it back for Demb茅l茅. Mbapp茅 kept running forward and took defenders with him, opening space for Demb茅l茅’s shot.
Demb茅l茅 said he wasn’t surprised with how Mbapp茅 stepped up after his penalty miss in the first half.
鈥淗e’s our captain and he has an incredible mentality,鈥� Demb茅l茅 said. 鈥淲e’re expecting even more goals from him.鈥�
France held a 21-4 advantage in shots on goal and 8-1 edge in shots on target for the game.
鈥淲e are very disappointed. We wanted to go on,鈥� Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi said. 鈥淲hen we had ball possession, our transitions were not great and we had to run a little more. Their players were in their comfort zone.鈥�
Mbapp茅 also had the first shot on goal of the game, just missing wide right in the fourth minute. Then, in the 25th, he was running up the left side when he was chopped down in the box by Morocco defender Noussair Mazraoui. Referee Facundo Tello quickly pointed to the penalty spot.
Mbapp茅 lined up waiting for his attempt but was held up by a lengthy video review. He was finally cleared to shoot in the 28th minute, but after a hesitation, Mbapp茅鈥檚 shot toward the right corner was corralled by goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, who guessed the direction of the shot correctly.
Deschamps said the long review also included a review for another foul.
Mbapp茅 made his only other penalty attempt at this year’s World Cup in France鈥檚 in the round of 16.
Still, France was by far the more active team offensively in the first half, holding a 13-1 advantage in shots on goal.
Morocco鈥檚 best opportunity came just before the halftime whistle when Achraf Hakimi sent a free kick from just outside the box past the right post.
France now has a chance to emulate Brazil and West Germany in reaching three straight World Cup finals.
鈥淲e realize that what lies ahead is even tougher than what we鈥檝e been through,” Mbapp茅 said, “but we鈥檙e ready to face anything.鈥�
___
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
