There was a handball: Morocco coach disputes Mbappé strike

Morocco coach Mohammed Ouahbi has claimed Kylian Mbappé's opening goal in France's 2-0 World Cup quarter-final victory should not have stood, alleging a handball occurred in the build-up.

Morocco's World Cup campaign ended in the last eight after suffering another 2-0 defeat to France, repeating the scoreline from their 2022 semi-final meeting, although this time the Atlas Lions bowed out in the quarter-finals.

Mbappé broke the deadlock in the 60th minute, finishing clinically after France had dominated much of the contest despite missing an earlier penalty.

Speaking after the match, Ouahbi said French midfielder Adrien Rabiot handled the ball moments before the goal, adding that several Moroccan players stopped playing while appealing for an infringement.

"There was a handball, and some of our players stopped because of it. I'm convinced it was handball," Ouahbi told reporters.

The Moroccan coach, however, stopped short of criticising the officials outright, saying he was unsure whether the incident warranted a whistle but insisted the goal came immediately after the disputed moment.

Refereeing analyst Juan Guzmán backed the on-field decision, arguing the contact was accidental and had no direct impact on the goal-scoring sequence, while France were not in clear possession when the ball struck Rabiot.

Despite the controversy, Ouahbi acknowledged France were the better side, praising the defending world champions for creating more chances and admitting Morocco failed to make the most of their possession.

He also commended his players for their effort, saying they had given everything on the pitch and should leave the tournament with their heads held high.