Morocco head coach Mohamed Ouahbi has raised concerns regarding the build-up to Kylian Mbappé‘s goal during his side’s FIFA World Cup quarter-final defeat against France. Ouahbi stated there “definitely was a handball” in the sequence leading to the goal and expressed confusion as to why the incident was not reviewed by VAR.
During the play that resulted in Mbappé’s goal, several Moroccan players reportedly paused, believing a handball had occurred. Ouahbi, speaking after Morocco‘s elimination from the tournament, acknowledged his uncertainty about whether a free-kick should have been awarded but maintained that the handball itself was clear.
“Some players stopped because there was a handball. And there definitely was a handball!” Ouahbi told reporters. He added that he was unsure if it should have been called, noting that the goal ultimately came from an individual effort by Mbappé.
VAR decision explained
Despite the protests from the Moroccan side, refereeing analyst Juan Guzmán offered an explanation for the officials’ decision not to disallow the goal. According to Guzmán, the handball was considered incidental and did not have a direct or immediate impact on the goal’s scoring.
Crucially, possession changed hands after the alleged handball but before Mbappé’s decisive contribution. This meant that the attacking phase which led to the goal was deemed separate from the earlier incident. Under the Laws of the Game, VAR only intervenes in attacking handball situations if the offence directly leads to a goal or creates an immediate goal-scoring opportunity. Since these conditions were not met, the goal was allowed to stand.
Ouahbi acknowledges France’s strength
While expressing disappointment over the controversial moment, Ouahbi was magnanimous in his assessment of France‘s performance, admitting they were the superior team throughout the match. He noted that the first half was particularly challenging for his squad.
“The French were very good with the ball. They had a lot of possession, they caused a lot of problems on the flanks with their players, and also in the centre,” Ouahbi commented. He also highlighted his team’s struggles with transitions when they regained possession, leading to them having to run more while France remained in a comfortable position.
The Morocco coach conceded that France created more clear-cut chances and that his team lacked freshness and creativity. “We have to recognise that they’re a great team. They have excellent players and had better goal-scoring opportunities. We lacked ideas and freshness,” he stated.
Ouahbi, who is 49 years old, also reflected on the team’s performance in the second half. He observed that while they suffered in the first half and Bounou made a significant save on a penalty, the team defended better and showed more composure with the ball in the second half. He noted that some players who seemed to be catching their breath in the first half started the second half well.
Despite another World Cup exit at the hands of France, who also eliminated Morocco in the 2022 semi-finals, Ouahbi believes the Atlas Lions are continuing to narrow the gap with the world’s top teams. He expressed his belief that Morocco is capable of competing and progressing further, potentially eliminating France in a future tournament.
Ouahbi concluded by urging his players to maintain their pride, acknowledging their full effort. He emphasized the need for objectivity and self-criticism to move forward, stating, “We cannot just say that we’re happy and proud of our performance. We need to move forward, and in order to do so, we have to be objective and do some self-criticism.”
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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