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

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — 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.”

The Atlas Lions' best chance came when midfielder Azzedine Ounahi had a shot from the edge of the box but goalkeeper Mike Maignan made a diving stop, knocking the ball away and, essentially, ending the hopes of Morocco.

“They had no real forwards using their speed in the wide areas,” France coach Didier Deschamps said. “We were possessing the ball, they had no way to be dangerous to us.”

It wasn’t like Morocco didn’t make a hard push at this year's World Cup. They recruited talented 18-year-old Ayyoub Bouaddi, who could have been playing with France's youth teams. He was born in Senlis, an hour north of Paris, and after representing France in every age group possible, he switched allegiance.

“We know we represent more than just one country,” Ouahbi said. “We represent the Moroccan people, and many countries across Asia and Africa. Many people see themselves in this team, and we’ll keep working to win titles in the future.”

Morocco’s best opportunity in the opening half came just before the halftime whistle when Achraf Hakimi sent a free kick from just outside the box past the right post.

“The first half was very complicated. France was very good with the ball,” Ouahbi said. “They caused a lot of problems on the sides with their players, and also in the center. When we had ball possession, our transitions were not so great, so we had to run a bit more and they ended up being in a comfort zone.”

AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

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. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

France's Kylian Mbappe (10) greets Morocco head coach Mohamed Ouahbi after France won the World Cup quarterfinal soccer match between France and Morocco in Foxborough, Mass., near Boston, Thursday, July 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Morocco head coach Mohamed Ouahbi walks across the pitch at the end of the World Cup quarterfinal soccer match between France and Morocco in Foxborough, Mass., near Boston, Thursday, July 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Morocco's Achraf Hakimi (2) and France's Kylian Mbappe (10) greet each other after the World Cup quarterfinal soccer match between France and Morocco in Foxborough, Mass., near Boston, Thursday, July 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Morocco's Brahim Diaz (10) and France's Jules Kounde (5) fight for the ball during the World Cup quarterfinal soccer match between France and Morocco in Foxborough, Mass., near Boston, Thursday, July 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The 82-year-old estranged father of Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, cut an electronic monitoring device off his ankle, just days after his arrest for keeping child sexual abuse material in storage units in California, authorities said Tuesday.

Thomas Markle was in custody awaiting a hearing in federal court in Tampa, Florida, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said.

He was arrested shortly after he cut off the ankle bracelet at 1:45 a.m., Essayli said.

Markle’s arrest on Friday followed the seizure of approximately 78 items, including slides, film negatives, and books that contained suspected child sexual abuse images in storage in the Los Angeles area, Essayli said.

During his arrest last week, he was taken from a senior care center in Lakeland by ambulance. Hours later, a judge allowed Markle to be released on the condition that he be electronically monitored, which typically means wearing an ankle tether.

The judge also ordered a mental competency exam and a report by Nov. 20.

His daughter, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex married Prince Harry at Windsor Castle in 2018. They have two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. She is an American citizen and actor who starred in the U.S. television drama “Suits.”

Meghan recently said she was “deeply distressed” by allegations that a collection of child sexual abuse images had been found at her father’s former home. She also revealed that a letter containing “troubling allegations” about him had been sent to police in London in 2019.

“It made troubling and disturbing allegations against my father and I was given assurances that these were being investigated,” Meghan said of the letter. “I hope it can now be understood that, despite certain media publications’ distortion over the years, any distance from my father and my choice to not allow him to have contact with our children was for one reason: to protect them.”

Thomas Markle was living in the Philippines this year when he suffered a stroke and had his left leg amputated. That forced him to return to the U.S.

His arrest followed reports by The Sun, a British tabloid newspaper, that Meghan’s half brother found a collection of child sexual abuse images while clearing out their father’s home in the Philippines. That discovery led to information about two U.S. storage units in California, which Markle had rented since 2008.

FILE - Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, takes part in the Scar Tree Walk in Melbourne, Australia on April 16, 2026. (Jonathan Brady/Pool Photo via AP, File)

Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, arrive to attend the opening of the Lost Screen Memorial at the European Parliament in Brussels, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026.(AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Meghan, center, Duchess of Sussex, attends the opening of "Lost Screen Memorial" at the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026. (Nicolas Tucat/Pool Photo via AP)