France downs Morocco 2-0 to advance to the World Cup semifinal

France downs Morocco 2-0 to advance to the World Cup semifinal July 9, 20266:01 PM ET By  Russell Lewis ,  Jasmine Garsd France forward Kylian Mbappe celebrates scoring his team'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. — It was billed as a battle of the World Cup heavyweights, and it looked close for a half. Soccer Edition Reigning champion Argentina escapes with remarkable World Cup victory over Egypt A rematch of the 2022 World Cup semifinal: France, the 2018 champion and 2022 runner-up, against Morocco, the Cinderella from four years ago, and the first Arab and African nation to reach a semifinal. But Morocco could do no better than the quarterfinals this year — losing to France 2-0. It did not take long for France to go on the attack. In the fourth minute, striker Kylian Mbappé 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. Sponsor Message The best first-half opportunity for France came in the 25th minute. Mbappé was tackled near the Morocco goal and won a penalty kick. The resulting video review took three minutes, frustrating Mbappé, who wanted to take the kick much sooner. When he eventually shot the penalty, Morocco's keeper Yassine Bounou dove, low and to the right, easily saving the weak effort by Mbappé. 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. Morocco's midfielder Neil El Aynaoui (left) reacts to a missed chance during the World Cup match against France. Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle c...