Ousmane Dembele expressed satisfaction after scoring and helping France secure a place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-finals, while acknowledging personal room for improvement.
Speaking after the victory, Dembele said, “Good, I feel very good. This is a position I know with France, with Paris Saint-Germain, I am trying. As I said, I’m picking up momentum during the competition, and I’m happy with my performance, even though I could do a little better, but it’s the team above all. We’re focused on the goal, and we’re going to try to go all the way.”
France defeated Morocco at Boston Stadium, with Kylian Mbappe and Dembele delivering key contributions. Mbappe overcame missing an early penalty to score his eighth goal of the tournament and then assisted Dembele’s fifth goal. The win sets up a semi-final clash against either Belgium or Spain.
The match featured extended periods of French possession. The first scoring opportunity came when Noussair Mazraoui fouled Mbappe inside the penalty area. Mbappe took the penalty but saw his effort saved by Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, keeping the score level at half-time.
The breakthrough occurred on the hour mark when Mbappe curled a precise shot into the far corner from the edge of the penalty area. He then created the second goal with a delicate pass to Dembele, who finished calmly into the bottom corner to double France’s lead.
Manager Didier Deschamps’ team controlled the remainder of the match comfortably and advanced to their third consecutive World Cup semi-final, following their 2018 championship and 2022 runners-up finish to Argentina.