E-Paper
Morocco boss hints at costly VAR blunder before Kylian Mbappe strike: 'It was a handball'
In the lead-up to Kylian Mbappe's goal, the ball appeared to touch Adrien Rabiot's hand.
Morocco head coach Mohamed Ouabhi questioned the Video Assistant Referee's (VAR) decision to ignore a handball leading up to Kylian Mbappe's 60th-minute strike. France went on to win 2-0, with Ousmane Dembele scoring another goal in the 66th minute.
But in the lead-up to Mbappe's goal, the ball appeared to touch Adrien Rabiot's hand. Although it can be argued that it was a different phase, as Mbappe's goal was the next one.
Also Read: England legend blasts VAR, referee after Lionel Messi and Argentina survive Egypt scare
‘People stopped because they saw a handball’
Speaking after the match, Ouabhi said, "The goal came from a bit of a... shared ball, some people stopped because they saw a handball. It was a handball, I don't know if it should have been called or not, I don't know."
After Rabiot's hand, the players also paused for a moment to protest to the referee. When Mbappe scored, the AFCON side's players protested to the referee, pointing out the earlier incident.
Despite the accusation, Ouahbi maintained his composure and praised France for their domination in the game. "We have to admit that we played against a very good team. We suffered a lot in the first half, and Bounou made a great save on the penalty. In the second half, we defended better and, above all, we were more composed with the ball. We were much better. In the first half, it seemed like some players were catching their breath. We saw that these same players started the second half well," he said.
"It was tough at the end, but I believe we must continue to believe, to work. We must also continue to work on the basics, ensuring that when there are injuries, players who are less fresh, we can have a larger pool of players. We will continue, we will not stop here. We are very disappointed, we wanted more, but we have to accept it," he added.
France also got a penalty in the first half after Mbappe was brought down in the box by Morocco defender Noussair Mazraoui. After a lengthy video review, Mbappe finally took his penalty, but the goalkeeper saved it.
Speaking after the win, Rabiot said, “We were very focused. And then, with the ball, we used it well. Even though we started badly with Bounou's penalty save. But we stayed in it. That's also where you see the team's strength because we show determination and resilience too. We're not taking it for granted at all in the locker room (the third consecutive World Cup semi-final).”
"I can tell you we were very happy. There's a lot of joy because we've been giving everything for several weeks. The group is exceptional. Everyone is united, and it's magnificent."
