{"id":2771,"date":"2026-07-10T04:23:33","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T23:23:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=2771"},"modified":"2026-07-10T04:23:33","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T23:23:33","slug":"france-downs-morocco-2-0-to-advance-to-the-world-cup-semifinal-npr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=2771","title":{"rendered":"France downs Morocco 2-0 to advance to the World Cup semifinal : NPR"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"storytext\">\n<div id=\"resg-s1-132891\" class=\"bucketwrap image large\">\n<div class=\"imagewrap has-source-dimensions\" 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data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/6000x4000+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fce%2F2f%2F4b6c9e674f3e8f4e80c71d427979%2Fgettyimages-2284789477.jpg\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1025px) 650px, calc(100vw - 30px)\" class=\"img\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/6000x4000+0+0\/resize\/1100\/quality\/50\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fce%2F2f%2F4b6c9e674f3e8f4e80c71d427979%2Fgettyimages-2284789477.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/6000x4000+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fce%2F2f%2F4b6c9e674f3e8f4e80c71d427979%2Fgettyimages-2284789477.jpg\" class=\"img\" alt=\"France forward Kylian Mbappe celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the World Cup quarterfinal against Morocco in Foxborough, Mass. on Thursday.\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/>\n        <\/picture>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"credit-caption\">\n<div class=\"caption-wrap\">\n<div class=\"caption\" aria-label=\"Image caption\">\n<p>\n                France forward Kylian Mbappe celebrates scoring his team&#8217;s first goal during the World Cup quarterfinal against Morocco in Foxborough, Mass. on Thursday.<br \/>\n                <b class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><\/p>\n<p>                    Odd Andersen\/AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>                <\/b><br \/>\n                <b class=\"hide-caption\"><b>hide caption<\/b><\/b>\n            <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>            <b class=\"toggle-caption\"><br \/>\n              <svg class=\"icon icon--info\"><use href=\"#icon-info\"\/><\/svg><br \/>\n              <b>toggle caption<\/b><br \/>\n            <\/b>\n    <\/div>\n<p>    <span class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><\/p>\n<p>        Odd Andersen\/AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>    <\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>FOXBOROUGH, Mass. \u2014 It was billed as a battle of the World Cup heavyweights, and it looked close for a half.<\/p>\n<div id=\"resnx-s1-5887619-100\" class=\"bucketwrap internallink insettwocolumn inset2col \">\n<div class=\"bucket img\">\n                  <a class=\"imagewrap\" id=\"featuredStackSquareImagenx-s1-5884872\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/07\/07\/nx-s1-5884872\/2026-world-cup-fifa-argentina-egypt-round-of-16\" data-metrics-ga4=\"{&quot;category&quot;:&quot;recirculation&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:&quot;story_recirculation_click&quot;,&quot;clickType&quot;:&quot;inset box&quot;,&quot;clickUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.npr.org\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/07\\\/nx-s1-5884872\\\/2026-world-cup-fifa-argentina-egypt-round-of-16&quot;}\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2518x2518+507+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F71%2Fe9%2F1a70d82c45bca871e04e268a0f74%2Fgettyimages-2285091642.jpg\" data-original=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2518x2518+507+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/100\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F71%2Fe9%2F1a70d82c45bca871e04e268a0f74%2Fgettyimages-2285091642.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2518x2518+507+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F71%2Fe9%2F1a70d82c45bca871e04e268a0f74%2Fgettyimages-2285091642.jpg\" data-format=\"webp\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" type=\"image\/webp\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2518x2518+507+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F71%2Fe9%2F1a70d82c45bca871e04e268a0f74%2Fgettyimages-2285091642.jpg\" data-original=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2518x2518+507+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/100\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F71%2Fe9%2F1a70d82c45bca871e04e268a0f74%2Fgettyimages-2285091642.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2518x2518+507+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F71%2Fe9%2F1a70d82c45bca871e04e268a0f74%2Fgettyimages-2285091642.jpg\" data-format=\"jpeg\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2518x2518+507+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/100\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F71%2Fe9%2F1a70d82c45bca871e04e268a0f74%2Fgettyimages-2285091642.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2518x2518+507+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F71%2Fe9%2F1a70d82c45bca871e04e268a0f74%2Fgettyimages-2285091642.jpg\" data-format=\"jpeg\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" alt=\"Lionel Messi #10 of Argentina celebrates scoring his team's second goal during their World Cup match against Egypt in Atlanta on Tuesday.\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/picture><\/a>         <\/p>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKETBLOCK\" -->\n      <\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKET IMG\" -->\n   <\/div>\n<p><!-- END ID=\"RESNX-S1-5887619-100\" CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP INTERNALLINK INSETTWOCOLUMN INSET2COL \" --><\/p>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2022\/12\/14\/1142802540\/france-morocco-semifinal-world-cup-qatar\" target=\"_blank\">rematch<\/a> of the 2022 World Cup semifinal: France, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2018\/07\/15\/629245670\/france-wins-world-cup\" target=\"_blank\">2018 champion<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2022\/12\/18\/1143933269\/world-cup-final-argentina-france-messi-mbappe\" target=\"_blank\">2022 runner-up<\/a>, against Morocco, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2022\/12\/10\/1142077790\/portugal-morocco-world-cup-quarterfinals-qatar\" target=\"_blank\">the Cinderella<\/a> from four years ago, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fifa.com\/en\/tournaments\/mens\/worldcup\/canadamexicousa2026\/scores-fixtures?country=US&amp;wtw-filter=ALL\" target=\"_blank\">first Arab and African nation<\/a> to reach a semifinal. But Morocco could do no better than the quarterfinals this year \u2014 losing to France 2-0.<\/p>\n<p>It did not take long for France to go on the attack. In the fourth minute, striker Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 just missed putting Les Bleus up early with a shot that zipped by the left post. France dominated much of the first half, preventing Morocco from even taking a shot until stoppage time at the end.<\/p>\n<aside id=\"ad-backstage-wrap\" class=\"ad-wrap backstage\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>The best first-half opportunity for France came in the 25th minute. Mbapp\u00e9 was tackled near the Morocco goal and won a penalty kick.<\/p>\n<p>The resulting video review took three minutes, frustrating Mbapp\u00e9, who wanted to take the kick much sooner. When he eventually shot the penalty, Morocco&#8217;s keeper Yassine Bounou dove, low and to the right, easily saving the weak effort by Mbapp\u00e9.<\/p>\n<p>The French defense stymied Morocco, preventing their offense from getting into a rhythm on a hot, sunny day (it was 89 degrees at kickoff). But France could do no better. At halftime, it was 0-0. The capacity crowd of just over 64,000 at Gillette Stadium wanted more.<\/p>\n<div id=\"resg-s1-132906\" class=\"bucketwrap image large\">\n<div class=\"imagewrap has-source-dimensions\" data-crop-type=\"\" style=\"&#10;        --source-width: 3178;&#10;        --source-height: 2119;&#10;    \">\n        <picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3178x2119+0+0\/resize\/400\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F64%2F94%2F9ceb06724056bd6a67c291a97797%2Fgettyimages-2284793034.jpg 400w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3178x2119+0+0\/resize\/600\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F64%2F94%2F9ceb06724056bd6a67c291a97797%2Fgettyimages-2284793034.jpg 600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3178x2119+0+0\/resize\/800\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F64%2F94%2F9ceb06724056bd6a67c291a97797%2Fgettyimages-2284793034.jpg 800w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3178x2119+0+0\/resize\/900\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F64%2F94%2F9ceb06724056bd6a67c291a97797%2Fgettyimages-2284793034.jpg 900w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3178x2119+0+0\/resize\/1200\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F64%2F94%2F9ceb06724056bd6a67c291a97797%2Fgettyimages-2284793034.jpg 1200w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3178x2119+0+0\/resize\/1600\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F64%2F94%2F9ceb06724056bd6a67c291a97797%2Fgettyimages-2284793034.jpg 1600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3178x2119+0+0\/resize\/1800\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F64%2F94%2F9ceb06724056bd6a67c291a97797%2Fgettyimages-2284793034.jpg 1800w\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3178x2119+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F64%2F94%2F9ceb06724056bd6a67c291a97797%2Fgettyimages-2284793034.jpg\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1025px) 650px, calc(100vw - 30px)\" class=\"img\" type=\"image\/webp\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3178x2119+0+0\/resize\/400\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F64%2F94%2F9ceb06724056bd6a67c291a97797%2Fgettyimages-2284793034.jpg 400w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3178x2119+0+0\/resize\/600\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F64%2F94%2F9ceb06724056bd6a67c291a97797%2Fgettyimages-2284793034.jpg 600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3178x2119+0+0\/resize\/800\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F64%2F94%2F9ceb06724056bd6a67c291a97797%2Fgettyimages-2284793034.jpg 800w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3178x2119+0+0\/resize\/900\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F64%2F94%2F9ceb06724056bd6a67c291a97797%2Fgettyimages-2284793034.jpg 900w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3178x2119+0+0\/resize\/1200\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F64%2F94%2F9ceb06724056bd6a67c291a97797%2Fgettyimages-2284793034.jpg 1200w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3178x2119+0+0\/resize\/1600\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F64%2F94%2F9ceb06724056bd6a67c291a97797%2Fgettyimages-2284793034.jpg 1600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3178x2119+0+0\/resize\/1800\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F64%2F94%2F9ceb06724056bd6a67c291a97797%2Fgettyimages-2284793034.jpg 1800w\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3178x2119+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F64%2F94%2F9ceb06724056bd6a67c291a97797%2Fgettyimages-2284793034.jpg\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1025px) 650px, calc(100vw - 30px)\" class=\"img\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3178x2119+0+0\/resize\/1100\/quality\/50\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F64%2F94%2F9ceb06724056bd6a67c291a97797%2Fgettyimages-2284793034.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3178x2119+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F64%2F94%2F9ceb06724056bd6a67c291a97797%2Fgettyimages-2284793034.jpg\" class=\"img\" alt=\"Morocco's midfielder Neil El Aynaoui (left) reacts to a missed chance during the World Cup match against France and Morocco at Boston Stadium in Foxborough on July 9, 2026. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE \/ AFP via Getty Images)\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>\n        <\/picture>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"credit-caption\">\n<div class=\"caption-wrap\">\n<div class=\"caption\" aria-label=\"Image caption\">\n<p>\n                Morocco&#8217;s midfielder Neil El Aynaoui (left) reacts to a missed chance during the World Cup match against France.<br \/>\n                <b class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><\/p>\n<p>                    Franck Fife\/AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>                <\/b><br \/>\n                <b class=\"hide-caption\"><b>hide caption<\/b><\/b>\n            <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>            <b class=\"toggle-caption\"><br \/>\n              <svg class=\"icon icon--info\"><use href=\"#icon-info\"\/><\/svg><br \/>\n              <b>toggle caption<\/b><br \/>\n            <\/b>\n    <\/div>\n<p>    <span class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><\/p>\n<p>        Franck Fife\/AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>    <\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Morocco&#8217;s ascent to becoming a respected contender at the World Cup is not coincidental. The government has made it a point to invest heavily in the Moroccan national team, even building a state-of-the-art facility and academy, 15 years ago, that experts say rivals France&#8217;s soccer training site.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The king of that country made a decision,&#8221; said Zayn Nabbi, host of the podcast <em>On The Whistle<\/em>, about African soccer. &#8220;They were gonna invest in football, and they were gonna use it as soft power. A host of stars are turning down the opportunity to play for European nations to play for Morocco.&#8221;<\/p>\n<aside id=\"ad-secondary-wrap\" class=\"ad-wrap secondary\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<\/aside>\n<aside id=\"mid-story-recommendations-mount-piano\" class=\"mid-story-recommendations-mount-piano\" aria-label=\"recommended stories\"\/>\n<!-- END ID=\"MID-STORY-RECOMMENDATIONS-MOUNT-PIANO\" CLASS=\"MID-STORY-RECOMMENDATIONS-MOUNT-PIANO\" ARIA-LABEL=\"RECOMMENDED STORIES\" --><\/p>\n<p>Consider 18-year-old Moroccan midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, who was born in France to Moroccan parents, and was courted by the French national team, but ultimately chose Morocco. &#8220;Bouaddi is a symbol of a generational shift in which playing for national teams in Europe is no longer treated as the highest form of recognition,&#8221; wrote journalists Aomar Boum and Brahim El Guabli in the blog <a href=\"https:\/\/africasacountry.com\/2026\/06\/how-moroccos-diaspora-is-remaking-the-nation\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Africa is a Country<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>But they were no match for French soccer, which attacked relentlessly in the second half: in the 60th minute came the first French goal. A sensational shot by Mbapp\u00e9 beyond the long stretch of Bounou. It was Mbapp\u00e9&#8217;s eighth goal of this tournament, a record 12th in the knockout round, and his 20th goal in the World Cup.<\/p>\n<div id=\"resnx-s1-5887619-101\" class=\"bucketwrap internallink insettwocolumn inset2col \">\n<div class=\"bucket img\">\n                  <a class=\"imagewrap\" id=\"featuredStackSquareImagenx-s1-5883842\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/07\/06\/nx-s1-5883842\/2026-world-cup-fifa-usmnt-belgium-round-of-16\" data-metrics-ga4=\"{&quot;category&quot;:&quot;recirculation&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:&quot;story_recirculation_click&quot;,&quot;clickType&quot;:&quot;inset box&quot;,&quot;clickUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.npr.org\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/06\\\/nx-s1-5883842\\\/2026-world-cup-fifa-usmnt-belgium-round-of-16&quot;}\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2913x2913+1061+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc5%2F24%2Feb3862af465ea88819ff56cd2d81%2Fgettyimages-2284969420.jpg\" data-original=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2913x2913+1061+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/100\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc5%2F24%2Feb3862af465ea88819ff56cd2d81%2Fgettyimages-2284969420.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2913x2913+1061+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc5%2F24%2Feb3862af465ea88819ff56cd2d81%2Fgettyimages-2284969420.jpg\" data-format=\"webp\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" type=\"image\/webp\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2913x2913+1061+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc5%2F24%2Feb3862af465ea88819ff56cd2d81%2Fgettyimages-2284969420.jpg\" data-original=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2913x2913+1061+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/100\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc5%2F24%2Feb3862af465ea88819ff56cd2d81%2Fgettyimages-2284969420.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2913x2913+1061+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc5%2F24%2Feb3862af465ea88819ff56cd2d81%2Fgettyimages-2284969420.jpg\" data-format=\"jpeg\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2913x2913+1061+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/100\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc5%2F24%2Feb3862af465ea88819ff56cd2d81%2Fgettyimages-2284969420.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2913x2913+1061+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc5%2F24%2Feb3862af465ea88819ff56cd2d81%2Fgettyimages-2284969420.jpg\" data-format=\"jpeg\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" alt=\"Charles De Ketelaere #17 of Belgium celebrates after scoring his team's second goal during the World Cup Round of 16 match against the United States on Monday in Seattle.\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/picture><\/a>         <\/p>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKETBLOCK\" -->\n      <\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKET IMG\" -->\n   <\/div>\n<p><!-- END ID=\"RESNX-S1-5887619-101\" CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP INTERNALLINK INSETTWOCOLUMN INSET2COL \" --><\/p>\n<p>Shortly thereafter, Moroccan player Issa Diop received a yellow card for tackling Mbapp\u00e9, the first and only card of the game<strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The French scoring continued six minutes later. Mbapp\u00e9 flicked a pass to Ousmane Demb\u00e9l\u00e9, who darted through the Moroccan defense and made it 2-0. Mbapp\u00e9 was subbed out in the 77th minute with a slight limp (he sat on the bench with an ice pack on his right ankle).<\/p>\n<p>Morocco did not give up the fight, creating several scoring opportunities late. But they could not find a way to get the ball into the net.<\/p>\n<p>France now moves on to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fifa.com\/en\/tournaments\/mens\/worldcup\/canadamexicousa2026\/scores-fixtures?country=US&amp;wtw-filter=ALL\" target=\"_blank\">the semifinal<\/a> next Tuesday against either Spain or Belgium, which are playing their quarterfinal match tomorrow in Inglewood, Calif.<\/p>\n<p><em>NPR&#8217;s Jasmine Garsd reported from Foxborough, Mass. and Russell Lewis from Birmingham, Ala.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>France forward Kylian Mbappe celebrates scoring his team&#8217;s first goal during the World Cup quarterfinal against Morocco in Foxborough, Mass. on Thursday. Odd Andersen\/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Odd Andersen\/AFP via Getty Images FOXBOROUGH, Mass. \u2014 It was billed as a battle of the World Cup heavyweights, and it looked close for&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2772,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/6000x3375+0+0\/resize\/1400\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fce%2F2f%2F4b6c9e674f3e8f4e80c71d427979%2Fgettyimages-2284789477.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2771","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-hub"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2771","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2771"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2771\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2772"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2771"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2771"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2771"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}