Kylian Mbappé scored one again in the 2026 World Cup to tie the Golden Boot race with Lionel Messi.
France, on Thursday, July 9, beat Morocco by 2-0 to become the first team to advance in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinals.
According to Al Jazeera, Mbappé and Ousmane Dembele scored goals to send the 2018 champion into a last-four showdown where they could face either Spain or Belgium in Arlington, Texas, on Tuesday, July 14.
The 27-year-old Real Madrid star regained his confidence after missing his first-ever World Cup penalty and netted his eighth goal of the tournament in the 60th minute of the match.
Dembele, six minutes later, doubled France’s lead to victory at the Gillette Stadium.
Kylian Mbappé matches Lionel Messi's goal tally
After scoring his eighth goal of the ongoing mega event against Morocco on Thursday, Mbappé has bought his World Cup goal tally to 20.
The French forward has also tied with Argentina captain Lionel Messi, who was leading the World Cup Golden Boot race after smashing multiple records.
Now both Messi and Mbappé have scored 8 goals and are set to play semifinals against different teams.
Mbappé was officially named the FIFA Man of the Match following France's win over Morocco in the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarterfinal.
The French captain put on a masterclass, overcoming a first-half penalty miss to score a stunning goal and provide an assist to Ousmane Dembélé.
Following the match, the Real Madrid forward posted a picture with his player of the match trophy on his Instagram and wrote, “A little closer now.”
Mbappé, in the comments, praised him for his masterclass display of the game and wished him luck for the upcoming important matches.
A user wrote, “The current best player in the world. Mr. World Cup.”
“We're coming for that World Cup title, step by step,” another gushed.
One of the fans commented, “Let's go, Kylian… We're all so proud of you!!”
Spain vs Belgium
In the second quarterfinals of the 2026 World Cup, Spain will face off against Belgium on Friday, July 10, at Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood, California.
Spain is in favor of the match, all set to kick off at 3 pm ET. It could be a hard-fought game, with the winner taking on a very powerful French team.
