MUNDIAL·26

Quarter-final · Thursday, July 9 · Boston Stadium, Boston · 63,811 in the stands

kickoff 16:00 local · 31°C · 59% humidity

France

60′ Kylian MBAPPE (pen)

66′ Ousmane DEMBELE (pen)

2:0

Morocco

tap a player for their match file

France4-2-3-1
Morocco4-2-3-1
Mike MAIGNAN7.1Lucas DIGNE7.3Dayot UPAMECANO6.9Jules KOUNDE7.0William SALIBA7.3Manu KONE7.0Adrien RABIOT7.0Ousmane DEMBELE8.6Kylian MBAPPE8.2Michael OLISE7.2Desire DOUE7.5Yassine BOUNOU7.0Achraf HAKIMI6.2Noussair MAZRAOUI5.8Issa DIOP6.4Anass SALAH EDDINE6.1Ayyoub BOUADDI6.0Chemsdine TALBI6.7Azzedine OUNAHI6.5Bilal EL KHANNOUSS6.3Neil EL AYNAOUI6.4Brahim DIAZ6.8
from the bench

match pulse — xG per 5 minutes · goals · cards

45′90′FRAMAR

goals — hover the strip for every shot and card, with names

  • 60′Mbappe0.05 xG
  • 66′Dembélé0.12 xG
FRA 0:0 MAR0'kickoff
4' Mbappe — xG 0.02 · Missed4' Upamecano — xG 0.44 · Saved10' Doué — xG 0.02 · Blocked18' Dembélé — xG 0.07 · Missed20' Dembélé — xG 0.02 · Blocked21' Rabiot — xG 0.05 · Missed28' Mbappe — xG 0.79 · Saved33' Dembélé — xG 0.04 · Missed35' Doué — xG 0.33 · Saved36' Koundé — xG 0.04 · Blocked45 + 1' Kone — xG 0.04 · Blocked45 + 2' Olise — xG 0.03 · Blocked45 + 2' Digne — xG 0.02 · Post48' Diaz — xG 0.04 · Blocked45 + 5' Hakimi — xG 0.04 · Missed55' Doué — xG 0.02 · Saved56' Mbappe — xG 0.48 · Missed60' Mbappe — xG 0.05 · Goal66' Dembélé — xG 0.12 · Goal83' Ounahi — xG 0.02 · Saved84' El Aynaoui — xG 0.03 · Missed86' Olise — xG 0.10 · Missed88' Barcola — xG 0.05 · Saved88' Mateta — xG 0.65 · Missed90 + 4' Mateta — xG 0.26 · Saved90 + 5' Yassine — xG 0.02 · Missed90 + 7' Olise — xG 0.04 · Missed

▶ Watch every shot in 3D⟲ Replay the match

The xG race — cumulative expected goals, minute by minute

FRA 0:0 MAR
1.02.03.00′15′30′45′60′75′90′60' Mbappe — GOAL66' Dembélé — GOAL3.680.15

On paper vs as played — formation sheet vs heatmap reality

FRA 4-2-3-1 attack →, ← MAR 4-2-3-1 attack. The teamsheet, as announced.

16Mike MAIGNANMike MAIGNAN3Lucas DIGNELucas DIGNE4Dayot UPAMECANODayot UPAMECANO5Jules KOUNDEJules KOUNDE17William SALIBAWilliam SALIBA6Manu KONEManu KONE14Adrien RABIOTAdrien RABIOT7Ousmane DEMBELEOusmane DEMBELE10Kylian MBAPPEKylian MBAPPE11Michael OLISEMichael OLISE20Desire DOUEDesire DOUE1Yassine BOUNOUYassine BOUNOU2Achraf HAKIMIAchraf HAKIMI3Noussair MAZRAOUINoussair MAZRAOUI14Issa DIOPIssa DIOP26Anass SALAH EDDINEAnass SALAH EDDINE6Ayyoub BOUADDIAyyoub BOUADDI7Chemsdine TALBIChemsdine TALBI8Azzedine OUNAHIAzzedine OUNAHI23Bilal EL KHANNOUSSBilal EL KHANNOUSS24Neil EL AYNAOUINeil EL AYNAOUI10Brahim DIAZBrahim DIAZ

The duel — team data, FIFA tracking included

47%
Possession
47%
3.52
Expected goals
0.16
62
Threat
38
22
Shots
5
8
On target
1
450
Passes completed
469
38
Forced turnovers
36
18.4s
Ball recovery time
16.0s
4.95
High-press phases
4.07
11
Fouls committed
8
0
Offsides
0
109 km
Distance covered
108 km
35.5 km/h
Top speed
35.3 km/h

Territory — where each team lived

Every player's heatmap, minutes-weighted and stacked per team. France attack →, ← Morocco attack. Brighter is more presence; where the colors meet is the contested ground.

How it happened

  1. 28′Penalty Awarded
  2. 60′Kylian MBAPPE (France) scores!!
  3. 62′Sofyan AMRABAT (in) comes off the bench to replace Ayyoub BOUADDI (out) (Morocco)
  4. 62′Soufiane RAHIMI (in) comes off the bench to replace Bilal EL KHANNOUSS (out) (Morocco)
  5. 63′Issa DIOP (Morocco) is booked by the referee.
  6. 66′Ousmane DEMBELE (France) scores!!
  7. 71′Warren ZAIRE-EMERY (in) comes off the bench to replace Manu KONE (out) (France)
  8. 74′Zakaria EL OUAHDI (in) comes off the bench to replace Anass SALAH EDDINE (out) (Morocco)
  9. 74′Gessime YASSINE (in) comes off the bench to replace Brahim DIAZ (out) (Morocco)
  10. 77′Jean-Philippe MATETA (in) comes off the bench to replace Kylian MBAPPE (out) (France)
  11. 77′Bradley BARCOLA (in) comes off the bench to replace Desire DOUE (out) (France)
  12. 85′Amine SBAI (in) comes off the bench to replace Chemsdine TALBI (out) (Morocco)
  13. 87′Malo GUSTO (in) comes off the bench to replace Jules KOUNDE (out) (France)

The morning-after column · AI-written from the match data

France's Clinical Patience Outlasts Morocco

France controlled the quarter-final through midfield superiority and relentless pressing, dominating an encounter that never truly threatened to slip away. Despite equal possession shares, the shape was entirely France's: 22 shots to Morocco's five, five high-press triggers to four, and 8.4 seconds faster average ball recovery. Morocco defended dutifully for an hour, then the dam broke—two goals in six minutes (60', 66') on low expected-goal chances that felt inevitable given France's overwhelming creation.

The numbers explained everything. France's 3.52 expected goals against Morocco's 0.16 was less a match than a masterclass in control: Dembélé (8.6) and Mbappé (8.2) terrorised a backline that had no answer to their movement. Bounou (7.0) worked tirelessly in Morocco's goal, bailing out a defence that weathered 22 shots. France squandered bigger chances—a 0.79-xG save in the 28th minute, a 0.48 miss in the 56th, another 0.65 miss in the 88th—yet the two that counted sufficed to close a quarter-final that was never a contest.

France's 3.52 expected goals to Morocco's 0.16 wasn't merely a quarter-final scoreline—it was an artillery strike against a cavalry charge that never materialised.

60′

France's opening goal—the release that converted dominance into victory

What France needed

Dominance in chance creation and clinical second-half finishing made Morocco's resistance untenable.

  • 22 shots to Morocco's 5 created unsustainable pressure; one team couldn't handle offensive volume
  • Dembélé (8.6) and Mbappé (8.2) versus Morocco's best (Diaz 6.8) exposed class gap on wing
  • Missed 0.79 and 0.65-xG chances; either converted makes Morocco's retreat catastrophically exposed

What Morocco needed

Starved of possession and creation, they lacked the attacking spark to threaten France.

  • 0.16 xG and 5 shots: offensive plan never threatened, only endured (until it collapsed)
  • One on-target shot required precise finishing; that single chance defined their attacking output
  • High press phases (4.1) below France's (5.0); midfield press failed to generate turnovers upfield