Mbappé scores eighth World Cup goal

Kylian Mbappé scored his eighth World Cup goal, helping France beat Morocco 2-0 and reach the semifinals for the third time in a row. The match, played at the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., near Boston, on Thursday, July 9, 2026, saw Mbappé overcome a missed penalty kick to deliver the crucial goal. Mbappé's goal in the 60th minute was his 20th in 20 World Cup games and equalled Argentina captain Lionel Messi for the tournament lead. He also assisted on Ousmane Dembélé's goal six minutes later. However, Mbappé gave France fans a scare when he went to the field in pain after being stepped on by Morocco defender Issa Diop in the 63rd minute. He remained in the game until the 76th minute, when he dropped to the turf and waved to the sideline.

Zorgen rise as Kylian Mbappé forced off in World Cup knockout

After the training staff checked on him, Mbappé was subbed off and watched the end of the match from the bench with an ice pack on his right ankle. France coach Didier Deschamps said the injury was not serious, describing it as a 'slight pain in the ankle'. Mbappé had a chance from the penalty spot in the first half after drawing a foul from Morocco defender Noussair Mazraoui in the box in the 28th minute. But goalkeeper Yassine Bounou guessed correctly, diving to his left to stop the attempt.

France's Mbappe nears Messi record as they book World Cup semifinal

The reigning Golden Boot winner, Mbappé, made up for his miss with his second-half goal, which put him one behind Messi on the all-time World Cup scoring list. Messi has 21 goals in 31 career World Cup matches over six tournaments, breaking the record of 16 that had been held by Germany striker Miroslav Klose.