Morocco’s Coach Said What Everyone Was Thinking on That Mbappé Goal

Morocco is out of the World Cup, and their head coach isn’t hiding how he feels about the play that decided it. Mohamed Ouahbi didn’t mince words after France knocked his team out in the quarterfinals, pointing directly at what he saw as a clear handball in the buildup to Kylian Mbappé’s goal.

“Some players stopped because there was a handball. And there was definitely a handball,” Ouahbi told reporters. He admitted uncertainty about the rule itself — “I don’t know whether it should have been called or not; I have no idea” — but he insisted the contact happened. He also acknowledged that Mbappé’s finish was pure individual brilliance.

The moment in question came in the second half with the game still tight. As France pushed forward, the ball appeared to strike an arm before Mbappé collected it and buried the chance. Video reviews were checked, but the goal stood. Morocco’s players and staff argued on the sideline. It didn’t matter.

The refereeing analysis says it wasn’t a penalty

Not everyone agrees with Ouahbi’s take. Refereeing analyst Juan Guzmán broke down the play and concluded the officials got it right. His reasoning came down to two points. First, the handball was incidental — not deliberate, not a clear unnatural position. Second, possession changed after the contact, meaning there wasn’t a direct line from hand to goal. In his view, the goal was correctly allowed to stand.

That split between the losing coach’s emotional reaction and the cold-eyed technical review is pretty much the whole story of this tournament so far. Every close call gets re-litigated in the press room and on social media within seconds. This one’s no different.

Morocco’s run was already historic — first African team to reach a World Cup quarterfinal, and they gave France every bit of fight until that moment. Mbappé’s goal cracked the game open, and a second French goal sealed it. But for Moroccan fans and their coach, the handball debate won’t fade as fast as the elimination sting.

As for France, they move on to the semifinals with the kind of controversy that usually follows champions. Mbappé didn’t comment on the handball claim. He didn’t need to. The ball was in the net.