Why Kylian Mbappé leads the Golden Boot race despite being tied with Lionel Messi on goals
The French star scored his tournament-leading eighth goal
France are one win away from another World Cup final, and once again, Kylian Mbappé is leading the charge.
The French star scored his tournament-leading eighth goal before Ousmane Dembélé added another as Les Bleus dispatched Morocco 2-0 in Friday's quarter-final at Boston Stadium, sealing a place in the last four of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Mbappé's 60th-minute strike broke the deadlock after France had dominated much of the contest without finding a breakthrough. Six minutes later, Dembélé wrapped up the victory with a composed finish, ensuring Didier Deschamps' side advanced comfortably.
The result sets up a semi-final clash against either Spain or Belgium in Arlington, Texas, on Wednesday.
Mbappé's latest goal also intensifies the Golden Boot race. The France captain now has eight goals at the tournament, level with Lionel Messi, but edges ahead thanks to a superior assist tally.
Why Mbappé is ahead despite goals being tied
Although Mbappé and Messi are level on eight goals, they are not level in the Golden Boot standings. That's because FIFA uses assists as the first tiebreaker when players finish with the same goal tally. If players are still tied after that, the award is decided by who has played fewer minutes during the tournament.
Mbappé therefore sits ahead of Messi, having set up three goals in addition to scoring eight of his own. Messi has matched his eight-goal haul but has recorded one assist. That leaves the France captain directly involved in 11 goals at the tournament, compared to Messi's nine, giving him the advantage in the race for the Golden Boot.
The match, at a glance
Morocco, the reigning African champions, had arrived as one of the tournament's most talked-about teams and were widely expected to test France after an impressive run to the quarter-finals. Instead, Les Bleus dictated proceedings from the outset, restricting Morocco to just one shot on target—a late free-kick from Azzedine Ounahi in the 83rd minute that goalkeeper Mike Maignan comfortably pushed away.
France's dominance could have produced an earlier breakthrough. Mbappé won a penalty midway through the first half after being fouled by Noussair Mazraoui, but saw his spot-kick saved by Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou following a lengthy VAR review before the penalty was finally taken.
Despite holding France until half-time and enjoying vocal backing from much of the crowd, Morocco struggled to create meaningful attacking opportunities. The African side, whose nation gained independence from France 70 years ago, eventually succumbed to the relentless pressure.
The breakthrough finally arrived on the hour mark when Mbappé curled a superb right-footed effort beyond Bounou from outside the penalty area. The goal was another milestone for France's all-time leading scorer, taking his international tally to 64 goals in 104 appearances. It also marked his 20th goal in 20 World Cup matches, leaving him just one behind Messi's overall tournament record of 21.
Dembélé, the reigning Ballon d'Or winner, then put the result beyond doubt in the 66th minute, surging forward from midfield before calmly slotting home his fifth goal of the tournament.
France now await the winner of Friday's remaining quarter-final between European champions Spain and Belgium as they continue their pursuit of another World Cup crown.
