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France captain Kylian Mbappe has disclosed that the controvery surrounding a VAR review caused him to lose concentration before missing a first-half penalty in his side’s 2-0 victory over Morocco in the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Mbappe was handed the opportunity to put France ahead after he was brought down inside the penalty area by Morocco defender Noussair Mazraoui.

However, following a lengthy VAR check, the French star saw his spot-kick comfortably saved by goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, leaving the score goalless.

Despite the early setback, Mbappe responded in style after the break. In the 60th minute, he curled a superb strike into the net to give Les Bleus the breakthrough, before Ousmane Dembele doubled France’s advantage six minutes later to seal their place in the semi-finals.

Reflecting on his missed penalty after the match, Mbappe admitted that the uncertainty surrounding the decision disrupted his mental preparation.

“I took the penalty badly, but it was a difficult situation because there was confusion,” he said.

“The referee first told me it was a penalty, so I started preparing to take it. Then he came back and said it might not be a penalty.

“I lost my focus. I’ve never experienced a situation like that before.”

Although Mbappe failed to convert from the spot, his second-half goal helped France overcome Morocco and continue their quest for another World Cup title. His comments highlighted the psychological impact that prolonged VAR reviews and uncertainty can have on players, even in the biggest moments of a match.

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Morocco head coach Mohamed Ouahbi admitted France deserved their 2-0 win after the Atlas Lions bowed out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the quarter-finals at Boston Stadium on Thursday night, July 9.

France booked their place in the semi-finals thanks to Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele.

Mbappe made amends for an earlier penalty miss by netting his eighth goal of the tournament before setting up Dembele for his fifth, sealing a last-four clash with either Belgium or Spain.

Ouahbi acknowledged that his side struggled to cope with Didier Deschamps’ team, particularly before the halftime break.

“We have to admit we faced a very good opponent. We struggled a lot in the first half, and [Yassine] Bounou’s penalty save kept us in the game,” FIFA.com quoted Ouahbi.

“We defended better in the second half and were calmer in possession. In the end, it was an individual piece of brilliance from [Kylian] Mbappe.

“It was a difficult feeling, but we have to keep working. We need more options on the bench when we have injuries, absences and fatigue, but of course we’re disappointed.”

Despite the defeat, the Morocco boss insisted the team’s progress in recent years gives supporters every reason to remain hopeful.

“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. We did everything we could to win, but we faced a very difficult opponent,” added Ouahbi.

“It’s a disappointment, of course, but we’ll keep working for the future. We know we represent more than just one country. 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.”

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France on Thursday booked their place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-finals with a 2-0 victory over Morocco in the quarter-final in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

Kylian Mbappé broke the deadlock in the 60th minute before Ousmane Dembélé doubled Les Bleus’ advantage six minutes later.

The result end Morocco’s spirited campaign and keeps France on course for a third World Cup title.

Mbappe recovered from having a first-half penalty saved to score a magnificent opener.

His weak spot-kick was easily saved by Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, but he made up for that by producing a brilliant curling finish to make it 1-0 on the hour mark.

That was Mbappe’s eighth goal at the tournament, moving him level again with Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot, before he came off late on and watched the final minutes with an ice pack around his right ankle.

Before exiting, he set up Ousmane Dembele to run through and settle the contest watched by 63,811 at the Gillette Stadium, as France knocked Morocco out, just as they did in 2022.

Their 2-0 win four years ago in Qatar came in the semi-finals, and this time the victory for Les Bleus takes them through to the last four.

They will face Spain or Belgium in Dallas next Tuesday.

France are looking to reach a third consecutive World Cup final in their last tournament before long-serving coach Didier Deschamps stands down.

Winners in 2018 and runners-up in 2022, it has felt like they have eased through to another semi-final, and they were too strong for a Moroccan team lacking firepower in the absence of the injured Ismael Saibari.

Mbappe is one of the greatest goal-scorers of his generation, and the World Cup continues to bring the very best out of him.

After netting braces in the group-stage wins over Senegal and Iraq, as well as the last-32 defeat of Sweden, he got the only goal from the penalty spot against Paraguay in the last round.

He has now scored 20 goals in 20 World Cup appearances, within one goal of Messi’s overall tournament record of 21.

More could have been expected from Morocco, who had more of the crowd behind them but lacked a cutting edge in attack as France kept a third clean sheet in as many knockout games.

Dembele Also On Target

Nevertheless, they have plenty of exciting young talents — including former France Under-21 captain Ayyoub Bouaddi in their midfield — and will surely be a force to be reckoned with again when they co-host the next World Cup in 2030 alongside Spain and Portugal.

On Thursday they were just the latest team to find containing Mbappe at a World Cup to be an impossible task.

The Real Madrid star provoked the penalty as he was scythed down in the area by Noussair Mazraoui after a quick breakaway in the 25th minute.

Argentinian referee Facundo Tello immediately pointed to the spot, although a review was needed to rule out a foul on Moroccan captain Achraf Hakimi in the build-up.

Maybe the wait got to Mbappe, whose kick was uncharacteristically weak and easily stopped.

It was a reminder that he remains human, just like Messi, who has squandered two penalties at this World Cup.

The excellent Bounou frequently kept France at bay in the first half, notably tipping a Desire Doue shot around the post after Bouaddi was robbed of the ball.

Lucas Digne crashed a shot onto the top of the bar from distance as the opening half ended goalless, but France got the reward for their pressure 15 minutes after the restart.

Doue slipped the ball to Mbappe just outside the area, and he controlled before using Issa Diop as a screen to direct a superb strike into the net.

France’s all-time leading marksman now has 64 international goals from 104 appearances.

His lay-off in the 66th minute allowed Dembele to advance on goal and curl a shot low into the same corner, a hand from Bounou proving unable to make it 2-0.

Dembele is the reigning Ballon d’Or and now has five goals at this World Cup, but Mbappe continues to hog the limelight.

AFP