Kylian Mbappe he waited more than three minutes before receiving his first-half penalty against Morocco in the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Boston Stadium in Foxborough.Mbappe won the goal after Moroccan defender Noussair Mazraoui challenged him inside the box. Referee Facundo Tello immediately pointed to the spot, but the throw was delayed while the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) reviewed the incident.
Why was the punishment delayed?
The VAR team checked whether Mbappe went down before meeting Mazraoui. Although the referee initially awarded the penalty, he waited for confirmation after speaking to VAR chief Hernan Mastrangelo.Mbappe had already taken his position to shoot but waited three minutes and 11 seconds for the review to be completed.When the penalty was confirmed, the French captain stepped up but his effort to the right was well saved by Moroccan midfielder Yassine Bounou.
Deschamps questions the remote VAR review
France coach Didier Deschamps admitted the delay made things difficult for his player.“I believe there was a VAR review and then a second review which took two minutes. I don’t know what happened.“It took some time and Kylian was ready to shoot. I don’t want to find excuses, but it wasn’t difficult.”Despite the missed penalty, Mbappe bounced back in the second half and scored France’s first goal before setting up Ousmane Dembele’s second in a 2-0 win.
France entered the semifinals
The win against Morocco sent France to the semifinals of the World Cup for the third time in a row. They will now face either Spain or Belgium to reach the final.
