Kylian Mbappe was left fuming after being forced to wait three minutes and ten seconds before missing a penalty in France's World Cup quarter-final against Morocco, prompting an angry confrontation with the referee during the subsequent hydration break.
The Real Madrid forward won the spot-kick when he was fouled by Manchester United's Noussair Mazraoui, but a lengthy VAR check delayed the kick despite the foul appearing clear. Ousmane Dembele guarded the penalty spot to prevent interference, yet Mbappe was forced back to the spot on more than one occasion to replace the ball.
“Kylian Mbappe missed a penalty after a three-minute VAR delay, then furiously confronted the referee during France's World Cup quarter-final against Morocco.”
When he finally stepped up, Mbappe produced a tame effort that was easily saved by Yassine Bounou. He threw his arms up in frustration and appeared to shout towards the referee. With the hydration break coming soon after, Mbappe immediately approached the official to lodge his complaints.
ITV commentator Ally McCoist admitted the delay was 'absolute nonsense' but believes Mbappe only has himself to blame. 'You might be far from happy, but don't do this, run up with a stutter and then hit it softly right to the keeper,' he said. 'Run up with a bit of purpose.' He later added: 'There's no power in it, no aggression, no belief, which is incredible for a man of that talent.'
Former Chelsea and Scotland star Pat Nevin appreciated that play leading up to the foul needed to be looked at, but was critical of VAR and Mbappe. 'Kylian Mbappe knew what he was doing, but then he started his reset and then there was another waste of time and he didn't reset it,' he said. 'You need to check the two possible free-kicks, but it shouldn't take that long. It was a stinker of a penalty. It was awful.'
ITV pundit Roy Keane also weighed in at half-time, saying: 'It is unfair, it's a pressure situation, why does he have to wait for over three minutes? It's unfair, even for these world-class players. Time is the enemy for the striker, it almost gives the advantage back to the team who conceded the penalty, it's not right.'
The incident is set to reignite debate over VAR delays in high-stakes moments, with Mbappe's frustration emblematic of a growing tension between players and the technology.