Erling Haaland Reacts to Kylian Mbappe's Penalty Drama in France vs Morocco
- Erling Haaland criticised the lengthy VAR delay before Kylian Mbappe's missed first-half penalty against Morocco
- The captain later recovered from the setback by scoring France's opening goal in the 2026 World Cup quarter-final
- FIFA has faced scrutiny once again after appointing an all-Argentine officiating team for the high-profile clash
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Erling Haaland had shared his thoughts after the lengthy delay that preceded Kylian Mbappe's missed penalty during France's 2026 World Cup quarter-final against Morocco.
Mbappe had a golden opportunity to give Les Bleus an early lead after going down inside the penalty area following a challenge from Manchester United defender Noussair Mazraoui.
Source: Getty Images
According to the BBC, Argentine referee Facundo Tello immediately pointed to the spot, but play was halted as VAR reviewed the decision for more than three minutes.
Once the check was completed, Mbappe stepped up only to see Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou produce an excellent save.
The France captain looked visibly frustrated during the wait and was seen discussing the lengthy review with Tello during the first hydration break.
His missed penalty meant Didier Deschamps' side went into half-time of the last 8 clash with the score still goalless.
FIFA officials face fresh scrutiny during World Cup
Watching from his team hotel, Haaland posted a photo of himself following the match on television.
In a Snapchat post that was later deleted, the Manchester City striker wrote:
"Need to wait 5 min to take a penalty is way too long."
According to the Mirror, Mbappe had actually waited three minutes and 12 seconds before taking the kick.
The extended pause appeared to disrupt his rhythm, with the Real Madrid forward striking a tame effort that Bounou comfortably saved.
Mbappe recovered brilliantly after the interval, cutting inside before curling a powerful strike into the top corner to hand France the lead.
Source: Getty Images
The match also reignited debate over FIFA's appointment of an all-Argentine refereeing team, including the VAR officials.
The decision attracted attention because France and Argentina have shared a fierce rivalry since the 2022 World Cup final, which was decided on penalties.
It marked the first time at the tournament that an entire officiating team from one nation had handled a match.
Deschamps dismissed concerns before kick-off, insisting France were focused only on their own performance.
The refereeing standard throughout the World Cup had already faced heavy criticism, with Egypt accusing FIFA of trying to keep Argentina and Lionel Messi in the competition after their controversial 3-2 Round of 16 defeat.
Supercomputer correctly predicted France's victory
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Opta's supercomputer made France the favourite ahead of the match.
After running 25,000 simulations, the model gave Les Bleus a 61.7% chance of winning in normal time.
Proofreading by Bruce Douglas, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
