Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

France defeats Morocco to reach World Cup Final, their chase to repeat continues

France, led by its star Kylian Mbappé, has sparkled this tournament. In defeating Morocco, the first African country to reach the World Cup semifinals, France sets up a dream final against Argentina.
France is heading back to the World Cup Final and aiming to do something that hasn't been done in 60 years - repeat as World Cup champions. France is making a return trip after defeating Morocco 2-0 in the semifinal.

It didn't take long for France to silence the overwhelmingly pro-Morocco crowd at Al Bayt Stadium.

In the 5th minute, the Moroccan defense let a ball scoot by to French forward Antoine Griezmann who passed it to Kylian Mbappé. Defenders swarmed him but he still managed a shot, deflecting it to Theo Hernández. He elevated and sent the ball with a soaring left-footed scissor kick beyond keeper Yassine "Bono" Bounou to score 1-0.

It was the first time Morocco had trailed in the tournament.

Morocco's defense and goalkeeping have been stellar this World Cup. Morocco hadn't allowed a single goal by an opponent the entire tournament until the semifinal. They shut out European soccer powerhouses: Croatia, Belgium, Spain and Portugal. Canada is the only team credited with a score - but it was an own goal, put in the net by a Moroccan player.

The first half goal wasn't the only down moment for the Atlas Lions. In the 21st minute, Morocco made an early substitution replacing their captain Romain Saiss who was injured (another defender, Nayef Aguerd, was pulled from the starting list just before kickoff also due to an injury).

France continued the attack the rest of the half. All-time French scoring leader Olivier Giroud had two golden chances - including a zinger that bounced off the left post.

Morocco's best opportunity to score came in the 43rd minute. Jawad El Yamiq had a beautiful bicycle kick off a corner kick that seemed to surprise everyone except French keeper Hugo Lloris who just pushed it away.

Morocco started the second half with chance after chance after chance in front of the French goal. The pride of Africa played with renewed energy and enthusiasm and managed to keep the reigning champions on the defensive but they still could not find a way to score.

But France did. In the 79th minute, Mbappé zipped around the Moroccan defense and powered through a shot that fell to the feet Randal Kolo Muani who calmly kicked it in to give France a 2-0 lead. Kolo Muani had substituted into the game just a minute before.

Morocco came into the match against France unbeaten in its last ten games (7 wins, 3 draws) and the first African country to advance to a World Cup semifinal. They were also just the third nation outside of Europe or South America to reach this deep into the tournament (USA 1930 & South Korea 2002).

This was the seventh time France had reached the semifinal of a World Cup. It lost the first three (Brazil 1958, West Germany in 1982 and 1986). But it won the next four (Croatia 1998, Portugal, 2006, Belgium 2018 and Morocco 2022).

Even with the loss, Morocco has one more World Cup game to play - in the third place match against Croatia on Saturday.

The final is Sunday with France taking on Argentina and their star Lionel Messi who is seeking his first World Cup title.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
JD Vance Warns Europe Faces “Civilizational Suicide” Over Open Borders and Speech Limits
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
Trump Administration Finalizes Broad Tariff Increases on Global Trade Partners
JD.com Launches €2.2 Billion Bid for German Electronics Retailer Ceconomy
Azerbaijan Proceeds with Plan to Legalise Casinos on Artificial Islands
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
×