The goalkeeper who has saved more World Cup penalties than anyone could not stop France: Mbappe and Dembele seal semi-final spot

France beat Morocco 2-0 on Thursday in the World Cup 2026 quarter-finals, with goals from Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele.

The match was defined by the duel between Mbappe and Bono. The Moroccan goalkeeper saved the French captain's penalty in the first half to give the Atlas Lions hope, but the number ten struck in the second period — drawing level with Lionel Messi at the top of the Golden Boot standings and becoming the first player in history to reach 100 goal involvements for France with 64 goals and 36 assists.

France vs Morocco: How the match unfolded

France dominated from the start. The two-time world champions registered 13 shots and three clear-cut chances in the opening period alone, while Morocco managed just one effort on Mike Maignan's goal, and with no genuine danger attached to it.

Their dominance was exercised in characteristically French fashion — not through slow, deliberate possession but by targeting space in open play. Deschamps' side allowed Morocco to have the ball, pressing aggressively to win it back near the opposition goal or in the midfield zone, where there was room to accelerate.

The great strength of this generation of French players lies in their concentration of quick, creative and technically gifted individuals in one-on-one situations. That was reflected in the most dangerous first-half moments — Desire Doue driving past his man before being denied by Bono, and Mbappe breaking in behind to earn and take the penalty.

Kylian Mbappe opens the scoring! ???

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With the spot kick saved, France were unable to open the scoring and found it increasingly difficult to penetrate the Moroccan box with any regularity. Morocco, for their part, followed a strategy similar to the one that had worked against Brazil — sitting in a deep block without the ball, denying space between the lines and looking to break on the counter.

The Atlas Lions had periods of extended possession but could never create freely under French pressure, nor find the decisive moment on the counter-attack. The French goals in the second half — from Mbappe and Dembele — came in exactly the manner France prefer: in transition.

France vs Morocco: Bono's first-half heroics are not enough

Bono was the standout figure of the opening period with his penalty save from Mbappe. Beyond stopping the tournament's leading scorer, the Moroccan veteran also extended a remarkable statistical record. No goalkeeper has saved more penalties at a World Cup — including shootouts — than Bono, who now stands at four. Of the nine penalties he has faced in the competition, only two have beaten him, with a further three missing the target entirely.

? Locked in for the Quarter-final.#FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/fMStZsxjcJ
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It was not enough, however, to prevent France from winning. After the penalty stop, Bono also produced a fine save from a Doue effort, but he was beaten twice from outside the box in the second half.

What comes next for France

France now await the winner of Friday's Spain versus Belgium quarter-final to discover their semi-final opponent. That semi-final will take place next Tuesday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough.

On course for a third World Cup final in three editions of the tournament, France remain the commanding favourites. Having reached the semi-finals with high-level performances in every game, Deschamps' side give the impression that no opponent can currently match them on level terms.

Spain and Argentina have been the most credible rivals on paper since before the tournament began. The Spaniards could meet France in the semi-finals, while a clash with Argentina would only arrive in the final — a rematch of the 2022 decider.