Explained: Why Kylian Mbappe’s penalty was more than three minutes late against Morocco | Football news

Kylian Mbappe had to wait more than three minutes before converting a first-half penalty against Morocco in the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup France at Boston Stadium in Foxborough.Mbappe won the penalty after Morocco defender Noussair Mazraoui challenged him in the penalty area. Referee Facundo Tello immediately pointed to the spot, but the shot was delayed while the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) reviewed the incident.

Why was the penalty postponed?

The VAR team checked whether Mbappe went down before making contact with Mazraoui. Although the referee initially awarded the penalty, he was waiting for confirmation after talking to VAR official Hernan Mastrangela.Mbappe had already taken his shooting position but had to wait three minutes and 11 seconds before the review was completed.After the penalty was awarded, the France captain stepped up, but his effort to the right was comfortably saved by Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.

Deschamps questions the lengthy VAR review

France coach Didier Deschamps admitted the delay made things difficult for his star striker.“I believe there was a VAR review and then a second review which lasted two minutes. I’m not sure what happened.“It took some time and Kylian was ready to shoot. I don’t want to make excuses, but it was not an easy situation.”Despite missing the penalty, Mbappe bounced back in the second half to score the first goal for France before setting up Ousmane Dembele for the second in a 2-0 win.

France entered the semi-finals

The win against Morocco sent France into the World Cup semi-finals for the third consecutive tournament. They will now face either Spain or Belgium for a place in the final.