Kylian Mbappe was made to wait more than three minutes before taking his first-half penalty against Morocco in France’s FIFA World Cup 2026 quarterfinal at Boston Stadium in Foxborough.Mbappe won the penalty after Morocco defender Noussair Mazraoui challenged him inside the box. Referee Facundo Tello immediately pointed to the spot, but the kick was delayed while the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) examined the incident.
Why was the punishment delayed?
The VAR team checked whether Mbappe was missing before making contact with Mazraoui. Although the referee initially awarded the penalty, he waited for confirmation after speaking with VAR official Hernan Mastrangelo.Mbappe had already taken his shooting position but was made to wait three minutes and 11 seconds before the review was completed.When the penalty was confirmed, the France captain stepped up but his effort towards the right side was comfortably saved by Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.
Deschamps questioned the lengthy VAR review
France coach Didier Deschamps admitted the delay made things more difficult for his star forward.“I believe there was a VAR review and then a second review which took two minutes. I’m not sure what happened.“Kylian took a long time and was ready to shoot. I don’t want to make excuses, but it’s not an easy situation.”Despite the missed penalty, Mbappe bounced back in the second half by scoring France’s opening goal before setting up Ousmane Dembele for the second in a 2-0 win.
France marched into the semifinals
The win over Morocco sent France to the semifinals of the World Cup for the third tournament in a row. They will now face Spain or Belgium for a place in the final.