Morocco head coach Mohamed Ouahbi has questioned the build-up to France’s opening goal in their FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-final, claiming several of his players momentarily stopped after believing a handball offence had occurred before Kylian Mbappé found the net.
The Atlas Lions eventually suffered a 2-0 defeat to France, ending their World Cup campaign despite another spirited performance against one of the tournament favourites.
Speaking after the match, Ouahbi revealed that some Moroccan players lost concentration because they believed the referee would stop play for a handball during the attacking move that led to Mbappé’s breakthrough.
“Some of our players stopped because they believed there had been a handball. There was contact between the ball and the hand, but I’m not sure whether it should have been considered an offence or not,” Ouahbi explained.
Although frustrated by the incident, the Moroccan coach refused to blame the defeat solely on the controversial moment.
Ouahbi acknowledged that France’s opening goal ultimately came down to the brilliance of one of world football’s biggest stars.
“In the end, it was an individual piece of quality from Kylian Mbappé that led to the goal,” he admitted.
Mbappé opened the scoring in the 60th minute before creating space for Ousmane Dembélé to seal France’s 2-0 victory just six minutes later.
The Moroccan coach also praised France’s overall strength, admitting his side always knew they would face one of the deepest squads in international football.
“We knew they were capable of scoring early. Our plan was to stay in the game for as long as possible without conceding and then see how France would react,” Ouahbi said.
Despite Morocco’s disciplined defensive effort, France’s superior attacking quality eventually proved decisive.
Ouahbi’s comments gained further attention after journalist Luiz Carlos Lago shared video footage on X that appeared to show the sequence leading up to France’s opening goal, reigniting debate among supporters over whether play should have been stopped for a possible handball.
However, neither the referee nor the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) deemed there was sufficient reason to intervene, allowing the goal to stand.
France progressed to the World Cup semi-finals with goals from Mbappé and Dembélé, continuing their bid for another global title.
For Morocco, the defeat ended another impressive World Cup journey. While they were unable to replicate their historic run to the 2022 semi-finals—when they became the first African nation to reach the last four—the Atlas Lions once again earned widespread praise for their resilience, organisation and competitive performances against one of football’s elite nations.
Although disappointed by the result, Ouahbi’s side leaves the tournament with its reputation enhanced, while France moves a step closer to another FIFA World Cup final.
Credit Photo : FIFA
