Erling Haaland, Norway’s star striker, has come to the defense of Kylian Mbappé after the French forward missed a crucial penalty during the France vs. Morocco match. Haaland argued that the lengthy waiting period before taking the spot-kick was both unreasonable and disruptive.
The referee had initially awarded France a penalty following a foul by Noussair Mazraoui on Mbappé. However, the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) took nearly 4 minutes to review and confirm the decision. Throughout the grueling wait, the French superstar remained standing with the ball in hand.
Once VAR finally validated the penalty, Mbappé stepped up to shoot, but Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou continued his spectacular 2026 World Cup form and successfully saved the strike.
Taking to his official Instagram account, Haaland commented on the missed penalty, stating:
“Waiting 5 minutes to take a penalty is too long.”
Mbappé himself addressed the incident after the match, reflecting on the psychological toll of the delay:
“I took the penalty poorly, but it was a complicated and confusing situation. The referee told me it was a penalty, so I prepared myself to shoot. Then, he came back to tell me it wasn’t, and I lost my focus. I have never experienced a situation like that before.”
Fortunately for Mbappé, he managed to bounce back by scoring the opening goal for France in the second half. Didier Deschamps’ men ultimately secured their spot in the semi-finals for the third consecutive time, thanks to a decisive goal by Ousmane Dembélé.
Meanwhile, Haaland is gearing up for a historic match against England this Sunday morning. The Norwegian talisman hopes to continue his country’s fairy-tale run and eliminate the Three Lions, following Norway’s massive World Cup upset against Brazil in the Round of 16.
