Mbappé blames referee confusion for penalty miss against Morocco

France captain Kylian Mbappé has blamed referee indecision and a lengthy VAR review for his penalty miss during France's 2-0 victory over Morocco in the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals.

Although Mbappé went on to score in the second half and help France book a place in the semi-finals, the Real Madrid forward failed to convert from the spot after winning a penalty in the 28th minute following a challenge from Noussair Mazraoui.

Before the kick was taken, however, the referee spent more than three minutes reviewing the incident with VAR, forcing Mbappé to wait around 3 minutes and 10 seconds before taking the penalty. His eventual effort lacked power and was comfortably saved by Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.

Speaking after the match, Mbappé said the uncertainty surrounding the decision affected his concentration.

"I missed the penalty because there was confusion. The referee initially told me it was a penalty, then came back and suggested it might not be. That completely disrupted my focus. I've never experienced anything like that before," he said.

The French forward was visibly frustrated after the miss and was later seen expressing his dissatisfaction to the referee during a hydration break.

ITV commentator Ally McCoist also criticised the lengthy VAR review but said Mbappé must take responsibility for his execution.

"Waiting that long is frustrating, but that's no excuse for such a hesitant run-up and a shot that was within the goalkeeper's reach. He should have shown more conviction," McCoist said.

Despite the missed penalty, Mbappé recovered to score in the second half as France sealed a comfortable victory and advanced to the last four.