Why ref took so long for VAR review before Kylian Mbappe's penalty was saved in France-Morocco
Why ref took so long for VAR review before Kylian Mbappe's penalty was saved in France-Morocco originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
There's no telling how the delay really impacted Kylian Mbappe.
All that can be known for sure is that the VAR review for a penalty took a long time, and the France striker had his penalty attempt in the first half saved by Morocco during Thursday's World Cup quarterfinal in Boston.
The in-between is tricky and hard to figure out.
Mbappé can’t convert the penalty 🤯 pic.twitter.com/Jf9S4Js5rk
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 9, 2026
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Why was the penalty VAR review so long for France?
It's impossible to know what took so long.
It seemed a clear penalty when Mbappe himself was brought down in the box by a slide tackle.
The VAR eventually confirmed the decision, but Mbappe had to re-set the ball multiple times while he waited.
He kicked low to the right, and the goalie dove to his left to save.
Mbappe immediately went to the referee in frustration.
Most likely, they were looking at some part of the build-up to see if there had been an impact leading up to the penalty kick.
But man, it wasn't fun for Mbappe to have to wait that long.
If France loses, this could be a talking point after the match.
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