'There was a handball': Morocco coach raises questions over VAR before Mbappe's strike
The suspected incident briefly halted Morocco's defenders in their tracks
A single whistle that never blew has left Morocco wondering what could have been. Head coach Mohamed Ouahbi hinted at VAR after his team's heartbreaking 2-0 defeat to France in the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-finals.
The pivotal moment saw multiple Moroccan defenders stop, convinced that Frenchman Adrien Rabiot had handled the ball. While Ouahbi conceded he wasn't entirely certain if the infraction warranted a free-kick, he did hint that illegal contact had occurred before Kylian Mbappe struck.
"Some players stopped because there was a handball. And there definitely was a handball!" Ouahbi told reporters, as quoted by multiple outlets. "I don't know whether it should have been called or not; I have no idea... in the end, it was an individual effort from Kylian Mbappe; that led to the goal."
The suspected incident briefly halted Morocco's defenders, who appealed to the referee before play continued. Their protests resumed moments later after Mbappé found the net, with the visitors convinced the buildup should have been stopped for the alleged infringement.
Even so, Ouahbi refused to pin the defeat solely on the controversial moment, acknowledging that France were the stronger side for long stretches of the contest.
"We have to admit we were playing against a very good team," he said. "We suffered a lot in the first half, and Bounou made a fantastic save from the penalty. After the break, we defended much better and were far calmer on the ball. It felt like some of our players needed time to settle in during the first half, but they came out much stronger in the second."
The high-stakes drama unfolded as Mbappe bounced back from an agonizing first-half penalty miss to anchor France's journey into their third consecutive World Cup semi-final. The French star redeemed his earlier blunder by firing home his eighth goal of the 2026 tournament, later turning playmaker to assist Ousmane Dembele for France's second. The definitive 2-0 victory officially booked the two-time champions a spot in the final four against either Belgium or Spain.
Right from the opening whistle, Les Bleus dictated the tempo. An early fifth-minute warning shot saw Dayot Upamecano power a header directly into the arms of Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou. France's relentless pressure seemed destined to pay off when Noussair Mazraoui tripped Mbappe inside the 18-yard box, gifting France a penalty. However, Bounou guessed right, pulling off a spectacular save against Mbappe to keep the scoreboard blank heading into the halftime interval.
The gridlock finally shattered at the 60-minute mark when Mbappe showcased his skills, curling a strike into the far corner from the edge of the box. Riding the wave of momentum, the French captain quickly orchestrated the second blow, flicking a pass to Ousmane Dembele. Utilising his captain’s overlapping run to create space, Dembele cut inside and unleashed a right-footed curler that sailed past a helpless Bounou to seal Morocco's fate.
The historic night also rewrote the record books for the French heavyweights. display, Mbappe cemented his legacy as the first player in French national team history to achieve 100 goal involvements, reaching a 101 total contributions consisting of 64 goals and 37 assists.
Didier Deschamps' men managed the remaining minutes of the match, safely securing their ticket to a third straight semi-final appearance on the heels of their 2018 championship and their 2022 runner-up finish in Qatar. Reflecting on the roller-coaster victory, Deschamps remained focused on theprize.
"We missed a penalty and failed to convert some chances. With Kylian Mbappe, there's no issue, he never doubts himself, even though he had a chance before he scored. We are exactly where we wanted to be. We will recover well and see who our opponent will be," said Deschamps.
