Kylian Mbappé blames long wait and VAR check for missed penalty

France had a dominating 2-0 victory against Morocco in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Quarter-final match on Thursday, July 9 but they had a rocky start. In the 28th minute, French star Kylian Mbappé stepped up to take a penalty but Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou denied him from the spot.

Kylian Mbappé unhappy with his penalty miss against Morocco

France's captain Kylian Mbappé has an impeccable penalty record which suffered a blow during the first Quarter-final match at the ongoing World Cup. The French No 10 missed an early opportunity to take the lead when he failed to convert the penalty.

The Real Madrid forward later said that the long wait before he could kick the ball distracted him. Argentine referee Facundo Tello had a lengthy consultation with the VAR to check the penalty, making Mbappé wait and it did not make him happy.

After the match, the Player of the Match said, "I took the penalty badly, but it was difficult because there was some confusion. Dembélé gave me the ball. Then the referee came over to me, just as I was starting to focus, and told me there was no penalty".

He added, "It distracted me. I’ve gone over many scenarios in my mind about how to prepare for a penalty, but this particular situation was something I had never experienced before."

Kylian Mbappé's redemption

Kylian Mbappé did not have to live with the weight of the missed penalty for long because he ended up scoring goal, a stunning strike in the 60th minute. With 8 goals now, he is tied with Argentina's Lionel Messi as the leading scorer of the tournament. He was subbed off after the 76th minute after he suffered a knock to his angle.

The French had a smooth victory after Ousmane Dembélé put the game to bed with another commendable strike in the 66th minute. Morocco, who played a relatively underwhelming game at the Boston Stadium, failed to recover from the two-goal deficit.

France have now secured a spot in the World Cup semi-finals, for a third consecutive time, and will face the winner of the quarter-final match between Belgium and Spain on July 14 (July 15, 2026 IST).

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