Haaland backs Mbappe after three-minute penalty wait costs France star in World Cup quarter-final

Kylian Mbappe missed a penalty but still scored as France defeated Morocco 2-0 in their World Cup quarter-final in Boston, securing a semi-final berth for Didier Deschamps’ side. The Real Madrid striker’s spot-kick failure drew sympathy from an unlikely corner — Golden Boot rival Erling Haaland.

Mbappe was awarded the penalty in the first half but was made to wait more than three minutes, partly due to a VAR check, before stepping up. The delay appeared to take its toll, with the France captain sending a tame effort straight into the dive of goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.

Haaland, via Snapchat, shared a picture of Mbappe after the miss with the caption: “Need to wait 5 min to take a penalty is too long.” The Manchester City striker’s post reflected a broader debate that had already ignited among pundits at half-time.

Roy Keane was particularly pointed in his criticism of the delay. “Listen it is unfair. Over three minutes… I know these are world-class players but it is unfair because it is a pressure situation,” Keane said. “Why does he have to wait three minutes? Time is the enemy for a striker when you’re waiting. You’re giving the advantage back to the goalkeeper and the team who’ve conceded the penalty, so it’s not right.”

Mbappe silenced any lingering doubts about his form shortly after the hour mark, curling a superb effort from outside the box past Bounou to open the scoring. Ousmane Dembele then sealed the result with a composed run and finish, the ball trickling past Bounou’s outstretched hand to confirm France’s place in the last four.

France will face the winners of the quarter-final between Spain and Belgium for a place in the World Cup final.