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This was a adjacent determination by FIFA: Former USMNT player
Former US men's squad defender Jonathan Bornstein discusses FIFA's arguable determination to reverse Balogun's reddish paper suspension, allowing him to play successful nan captious World Cup Round of 16 match. Bornstein explains why nan telephone was "proper," contrasting it pinch nan Norway coach's criticism. The USA is group to look top-ranked Belgium.
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For nan 2nd consecutive World Cup, France has sent Morocco location pinch a 2-0 victory.
In 2022, it was a historical semifinal, arsenic Morocco became nan first-ever African squad to scope that shape of nan tournament. But France defeated them to scope nan World Cup Final successful Qatar.
Four years later, history repeated itself successful nan quarterfinals, arsenic Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé scored second-half goals to nonstop France backmost to nan semifinals.
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Kylian Mbappe of France celebrates aft scoring his teams first extremity during nan FIFA World Cup 2026 Quarter Final lucifer betwixt France and Morocco astatine Boston Stadium connected July 9, 2026 successful Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Daniela Porcelli/Getty Images)
France will now await nan victor of Spain and Belgium, who look disconnected against each different connected Friday astatine 3 p.m. successful Los Angeles.
Much for illustration Paraguay successful nan Round of 16 against France, Morocco was intelligibly focusing connected their defense, making judge nan likes of Mbappé didn’t person easy lanes to score.
It was moving to commencement nan match, though France was instantly connected nan violative and stayed location throughout. However, Morocco faltered erstwhile a foul was committed successful their ain box, forcing a punishment kick.
KYLIAN MBAPPÉ'S SEVENTH GOAL OF THE WORLD CUP LIFTS FRANCE PAST PARAGUAY IN PHYSICAL ROUND OF 16 MATCH
Mbappé stepped correct up to nan ball, but nan caput referee was waiting for nan awesome to spot if a VAR cheque was needed earlier nan punishment could beryllium taken. The referee called it a punishment connected nan pitch, but he had Mbappé disappointment arsenic he had to proceed re-doing his regular aggregate times earlier yet getting nan chance.
Morocco goalkeeper Yassine "Bono" Bounou publication Mbappé for illustration a book, arsenic nan French superstar tried to bait him into moving earlier his kick. But Bounou stood for illustration a statue earlier pouncing to his near and keeping nan scoreboard silent successful nan first half.
Morocco didn't registry its first existent scoring chance until stoppage time, underscoring France's power of nan match. It felt for illustration only a matter of clip earlier Les Bleus yet collapsed through.
France's guardant Ousmane Dembele celebrates scoring his team's 2nd extremity during nan 2026 World Cup shot tourney quarter-final lucifer betwixt France and Morocco astatine Boston Stadium successful Foxborough connected July 9, 2026. (CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP)
After getting backmost to their violative ways successful nan 2nd half, they near it to Mbappé to find conscionable capable abstraction wrong Morocco’s box, pinch defenders draped each astir him, to occurrence a perfectly placed footwear past a diving Bounou for his eighth World Cup tourney goal.
Mbappé is tied pinch Argentina’s Lionel Messi for nan lead successful this World Cup, while besides having 20 for his career. Messi, who collapsed nan all-time World Cup goals grounds earlier successful nan group stages, is up to 21 goals.
With Morocco yet conceding, France began uncovering much abstraction arsenic its force was forced to unfastened up successful hunt of an equalizer. Dembélé exploited 1 of those gaps to perfection.
In nan 66th minute, Dembélé, utilizing his weaker correct foot, kept a screamer debased toward Bounou’s net. Though nan Morocco keeper sewage a manus connected it, he didn’t get capable arsenic it trickled into nan backmost of nan net.
At this point, France knew it had nan abstraction it needed connected nan scoreboard to thrust retired nan match. Though Morocco tried, they couldn’t get thing going, and Didier Deschamps’ squad erstwhile again proved really ascendant they tin beryllium during this World Cup arsenic they moved connected to nan semifinals.
France's guardant Kylian Mbappe and Morocco's midfielder Azzedine Ounahi conflict for nan shot during nan 2026 World Cup shot tourney quarter-final lucifer betwixt France and Morocco astatine Boston Stadium successful Foxborough connected July 9, 2026. (FRANCK FIFE / AFP)
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France will play connected July 14 astatine 3 p.m. successful Dallas, wherever they could look a Spain squad that has yet to concede a extremity successful this tournament, aliases a Belgium squad that took retired Team USA to scope nan quarterfinals.
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Scott Thompson is simply a sports writer for Fox News Digital.
