HIGHLIGHTS| FIFA World Cup 2026, Day 29: France beat Morocco to reach semi-finals; Mbappe equals Messi's goal tally

The 2-0 defeat at the Gillette Stadium near Boston was a repeat of the scoreline when the sides met in the semis four years ago.

Summary

Welcome to TNIE's live coverage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarterfinals, where the race for the coveted trophy enters its decisive phase.

The last day of the Round of 16 delivered two thrilling contests which saw Argentina stage a stunning comeback from 2-0 down to avoid crashing out of the World Cup at the hands of Egypt, as Lionel Messi played his part in a 3-2 win to reach the quarter-finals.

Argentina looked down and out when goals from Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Ziko, either side of Messi having a penalty saved, put the Pharaohs in sight of a historic victory in Atlanta before the defending champions scored three unanswered goals in 13 minutes to pull off one of the biggest comebacks in World Cup history.

However, Egypt coach Hossam Hassan and several players criticised the refereeing, alleging biased officiating after their dramatic Round of 16 defeat to Argentina.

In the final Round of 16 clash, Switzerland and Colombia played out a goalless draw before Ruben Vargas converted the decisive penalty to seal a 4-3 shootout victory, sending Switzerland into the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time since 1954.

The spotlight now shifts to the first quarterfinal, where France take on African champions Morocco in a rematch of their 2022 World Cup semifinal, with a place in the last four at stake.

Here is Day 29's fixture:

France vs Morocco — 1:30 am (IST)

Morocco's Saibari out of France World Cup quarter-final

Morocco star Ismael Saibari will miss his team's World Cup quarter-final showdown with France, coach Mohamed Ouahbi confirmed on Wednesday.

"Everyone is 100 percent fit except Saibari. This game comes too soon for him but I hope he is not out for the rest of the competition," Ouahbi told reporters ahead of Thursday's last-eight showdown at the Gillette Stadium near Boston.

Saibari, who has just joined Bayern Munich from Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven on a five-year deal for a reported fee of 50 million euros ($57 million), has been one of the standout players at the World Cup.

He scored in each of his team's three group games and converted the winning penalty in the shoot-out as Morocco beat the Netherlands in the last 32.

However, the attacking midfielder came off early on with a hamstring problem in the 3-0 win against Canada in the last 16 last Saturday, and has not recovered.

The Atlas Lions are seeking to avenge their 2-0 defeat against France in the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup.

Le dernier but de l'opposition et la victoire pour les Bleus ! 🤣🔵 pic.twitter.com/gwoLUlpWid

— Equipe de France ⭐⭐ (@equipedefrance) July 8, 2026

France-Morocco rematch could be the most intriguing World Cup quarterfinal

France coach Didier Deschamps spent most of his World Cup news conference on Wednesday fielding questions about a multitude of off-field issues, from racist remarks aimed at French star Kylian Mbappé, to officiating concerns, to his own future.

Meantime, authorities in France are preparing for unrest related to the Thursday's quarterfinal clash with Morocco. Several thousand police officers are expected to be deployed across France after the 2022 World Cup semifinal between the North African nation and its former colonial ruler led to more than 250 arrests, many of them in Paris.

Even apart from those concerns, France-Morocco might be the most intriguing of the four quarterfinal matchups.

France beat Morocco 2-0 in the semifinals four years ago in Qatar. With a victory this time, France would continue its bid to become only the third country to reach the final of three successive World Cups, joining Germany and Brazil. Morocco was the first African team to make to a World Cup semifinal in 2022.

“We met them four years ago in the semifinal. They also played in the African final. It is a really great, excellent team with top-notch individuals. They’re not here to play. They’re there to win,” Deschamps said. “They like to attack to score goals. We have to be ready.”

En préparation pour France-Maroc 🧤💪 pic.twitter.com/HK3FoHr7pX

— Equipe de France ⭐⭐ (@equipedefrance) July 8, 2026

'Cannot remain silent': Egypt complains officials were biased in World Cup loss to Argentina

The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) said Wednesday it “cannot remain silent” after what it believes was unfair and biased officiating in Egypt's 3-2 round of 16 loss against Argentina on Tuesday.

Egypt coach Hossam Hassan and several players criticized the officiating after being left in disbelief as Argentina scored three unanswered goals in 13 minutes to pull off one of the biggest comebacks in World Cup history.

“Defending the rights and interests of the Egyptian national team is not a matter that can be ignored, minimized, or treated as secondary,” the EFA said in a statement. “It is a responsibility that we carry with full conviction and determination.”

FIFA’s chief of refereeing Pierluigi Collina, in a statement issued later Wednesday, said while constructive discussion about decisions would always be part of football, “unfounded allegations have no place in our sport.”

“Nobody can question the integrity of the FIFA World Cup match officials,” he said. “When this happens, it may provoke reactions that lead to threats against them and their families. This is not right.”

The EFA said that the referee failed to use the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system appropriately, leading to the loss to Argentina.

Egypt appeared to have netted its second goal in the 58th minute, but a VAR review determined that Marwan Attia had fouled Argentina defender Lisandro Martínez early in the buildup up to the goal.

“Several key incidents raised serious concerns and left profound questions about the consistency and fairness of decisions that directly influenced the course of the game,” the EFA statement read.

التحضيرات متواصلة لربع النهائي

Preparations continue for the Quarter-final 🦁#DimaMaghrib 🇲🇦 #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/oAd2gKGVK8

— Équipe du Maroc (@EnMaroc) July 8, 2026

Morocco again knocked out of World Cup by France 2-0, this time in the quarterfinals

France did it to Morocco again at the World Cup.

For the second straight tournament, Morocco was ousted by the French 2-0 — this time in the quarterfinals on Thursday at Gillette Stadium, four years after losing by the same score in the semifinals.

With very few attacking chances, Morocco landed only one shot on goal, and that came in the 82nd minute while already trailing by two goals.

It was the same ending as in Qatar, when the Atlas Lions became the first African team to reach the semifinals at a World Cup.

“The future will be bright if we continue like this, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t want to win today. Of course, we wanted to win today,” Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi said through a translator. “We did everything we could to win, but we faced a very difficult opponent. It’s a disappointment, of course, but we’ll keep working for the future.”

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Morocco coach Ouahbi vows team will come back stronger after World Cup exit

Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi promised that his team will bounce back from their World Cup quarter-final exit against France on Thursday and keep building as they prepare to co-host the next tournament in 2030.

The Atlas Lions were hoping to at least match their historic run to the semi-finals in Qatar in 2022, but once again their World Cup hopes were ended by Les Bleus.

The 2-0 defeat at the Gillette Stadium near Boston was a repeat of the scoreline when the sides met in the semis four years ago, and Morocco must now turn their attentions towards future challenges after a draining last seven months.

"France are a really great side. We were playing a country who have been to the last two World Cup finals, and they have rarely had as much talent as they do now," acknowledged Ouahbi, after the last-eight contest was settled by second-half goals from Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele.

"We know we can compete, and what we want to do is work even harder to try to do even better next time."

Morocco team and staff walk off the pitch after the World Cup quarterfinal soccer match between France and Morocco in Foxborough, Mass., near Boston, Thursday, July 9, 2026(Photo | AP)

✅ Youngest player to feature in 20 @FIFAWorldCup matches
✅ Fastest player to score 20 @FIFAWorldCup goals

Kylian Mbappé on the global stage 👏🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/1sqZdJGawF

— FIFA (@FIFAcom) July 9, 2026