After the controversial Argentina-Egypt game, Morocco’s quarterfinal game against France also couldn’t escape controversy. While France dominated the entire game, winning 2-0, the post-match remarks by Moroccan coach Mohamed Ouahbi sparked a new controversy. This time, it’s again around Kylian Mbappé. He scored the first goal for France, but as per Ouahbi, there was a handball before the goal. Moroccan coach stayed skeptical whether Mbappe’s goal should be allowed or not.

“Some players stopped because there was a handball in France’s goal! And there was definitely a handball! I don’t know why they didn’t disallow Mbappé’s goal,” Ouahbi questioned after the game.

The drama unfolded in the 60th minute when French midfielder Adrien Rabiot appeared to use his hand to win the ball in central midfield. Seconds later, Désiré Doué threaded a pass to Kylian Mbappé, who scored a brilliant curling opener to break the 0-0 deadlock.

At the exact moment, several Moroccan players stopped playing when the hand contact occurred. They immediately protested to the referee. FIFA’s rules require a VAR review when a handball directly leads to a goal. But the referee allowed the goal to stand without reviewing the pitchside VAR monitor. This incited immense frustration from fans and the Moroccan bench.

However, it was also concluded that the VAR likely did not penalize the action because the hand contact was deemed circumstantial, non-immediate, and occurring before a subsequent transition of possession. The photos and videos making rounds are only igniting the fire. Hence, despite the uproar, France advanced to the semifinals, where they will face either Spain or Belgium.

Ouahbi, although he protested France’s first goal, also acknowledged how Morocco was dominated by France.

“We are disappointed, but the first half was very difficult; the French were very good with the ball. They had a lot of possession, they caused a lot of problems on the flanks with their players, and also in the center,” Ouahbi said. “We have to recognize that they’re a great team.

“They have excellent players and had better goal-scoring opportunities. We lacked ideas and freshness to do more when we had possession. We have to accept this defeat. It is hard to talk so soon after the match, but it’s also difficult to talk about regrets when we got to the quarter-final.”

Moroccan coach was also hopeful about the rebound of his young team.

“The future is going to be beautiful. We played a very good side. It is difficult to talk about regrets when you are in a quarterfinal. We have a young team and talented players, and we will continue to grow.”

Morocco secured a semi-final berth in the last World Cup, which couldn’t be touched this time. A name like Kylian Mbappé once again proved to be the key differentiator between the two teams.