Erling Haaland's candid take on Kylian Mbappe's prolonged wait for a penalty quickly became a hot topic following France's quarterfinal victory over Morocco in the FIFA World Cup 2026. The Norwegian striker didn't hold back, criticizing the lengthy VAR review that made Mbappe wait over three minutes before taking his shot, calling such delays "way too long" for a player facing high-pressure situations.
This all unfolded after France was awarded a penalty in the 25th minute due to a challenge from Morocco's Noussair Mazraoui on Mbappe. The review dragged on for 3 minutes and 10 seconds, and Haaland's social media post echoed the growing frustration surrounding these drawn-out VAR checks and their effects on players.
The delay seemed to disrupt Mbappe's flow. Once he finally got the go-ahead, the France captain approached the spot but was thwarted by Morocco's goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, who made a fantastic save to keep the game tied. Mbappe's visible frustration after the miss only fueled the ongoing debates among fans and pundits about the impact of such lengthy stoppages.
France Reach World Cup Semi-Final For Third-Consecutive Time
The quarterfinal match took place at Boston Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, where France went up against a Morocco team that was missing their key attacker, Ismael Saibari, due to injury. France started strong, almost scoring within the first four minutes when Mbappe sent a shot wide. Just a minute later, Dayot Upamecano came close with a header, but the real drama unfolded in the 25th minute with a penalty controversy. After a lengthy review and a save by Bounou in the 28th minute, France kept pressing forward. Lucas Digne hit the crossbar during first-half stoppage time, but Morocco managed to hold on until halftime with the score still at 0-0.
The breakthrough finally came for France in the 60th minute when Mbappe skillfully cut inside and curled a powerful shot past Bounou, thanks to a great setup from Désiré Doué. Just six minutes later, Ousmane Dembele extended the lead with a low finish, aided by some clever movement from Mbappe that opened up space in the Moroccan defense.
On the other side, goalkeeper Mike Maignan had a pretty quiet night, as France's solid defensive setup kept Morocco's attacking efforts at bay, limiting them to just a handful of clear chances. The 2-0 win propelled France into the World Cup semi-finals, where they will take on either Spain or Belgium in Dallas. This victory also marked France's third consecutive appearance in the World Cup semi-finals, following their runs in 2018 and 2022, showcasing the impressive consistency of Didier Deschamps' squad on the grandest stage of football.
