France secured a place in the World Cup semi-finals with a 2-0 victory over Morocco, but Kylian Mbappé’s opening goal was followed by questions over a possible handball in the build-up.
Mbappé broke the deadlock in the 60th minute with a superb curling finish from outside the penalty area. Ousmane Dembélé added France’s second six minutes later, completing a victory that took Didier Deschamps’ side into the last four for a third consecutive World Cup.
However, several Moroccan players stopped during the move leading to Mbappé’s goal because they believed Adrien Rabiot had handled the ball while regaining possession.
Argentine referee Facundo Tello allowed play to continue. The video assistant referee then took time to examine the incident before confirming the goal.
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Ouahbi points to possible handball
Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi accepted that Mbappé’s finish was an outstanding individual effort, but maintained that a handball had occurred earlier in the move.
Quoted by Vincent Duluc in L’Équipe, Ouahbi told beIN Sports: “Some players stopped because they saw a handball, and there was indeed one. I don’t know whether it should have been called or not, I’m not sure, but that is what happened. Then Mbappé produced an individual move that allowed him to score.”
The comments reflected Morocco’s frustration, but the available footage did not provide definitive proof that Rabiot had committed an offence.
The live broadcast showed the ball rising towards the French midfielder’s arm as he made the interception. However, the incident could not be confirmed with certainty from the footage shown at normal speed.
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The subsequent slow-motion replay did not go far enough back to include the possible handball, while the angles examined by the VAR officials were not shown publicly.
It is therefore not possible, on the basis of the broadcast pictures alone, to determine conclusively whether the ball touched Rabiot’s hand or whether any contact would have constituted a punishable offence.
Mbappé responds after missed penalty
Mbappé’s goal came after a frustrating first half for the France captain.
He was awarded a penalty after being brought down by Noussair Mazraoui, but had to wait three minutes and 11 seconds while VAR examined the full attacking sequence.
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The review considered whether Mazraoui had fouled Mbappé and whether Désiré Doué had committed an earlier offence against Achraf Hakimi at the beginning of the move.
Tello initially confirmed the penalty before being asked to conduct a further check. Mbappé eventually took the spot kick in the 28th minute, but Yassine Bounou guessed correctly and made the save.
According to The Associated Press’ match report, Mbappé recovered to score his 20th goal in 20 World Cup appearances before setting up Dembélé for France’s second.
The result sent France into a semi-final against either Spain or Belgium and kept alive their ambition of reaching a third consecutive World Cup final.
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Deschamps explains lengthy review
Deschamps later revealed that he had spoken to Tello about the delay before Mbappé’s penalty.
“He first confirmed the penalty, and then VAR called him back for a second check,” the France coach said.
Unlike the earlier penalty incident, Tello was not sent to the pitchside monitor before Mbappé’s goal. VAR reviewed the attacking phase remotely and found no clear reason to overturn the decision.
Morocco’s disappointment remained after the final whistle, but Ouahbi also acknowledged that his team had struggled to threaten France consistently.
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The Atlas Lions managed only one effort on target, while France controlled most of the contest and ultimately advanced through Mbappé’s decisive contribution.
