Kylian Mbappe Faces Backlash for Complaining After Missed Penalty

WHO:

Daily Mail Sports - The France players have taken to calling Kylian Mbappe a nickname derived from a former political henchman of Zaire, portraying him as the 'dictator' of the squad.

Sportskeeda - Kylian Mbappe, a player for France.

Daily Mail Sports - Facundo Tello, Argentinian referee.

WHAT:

Newsweek - Erling Haaland called out the lengthy VAR review before Kylian Mbappe missed a first-half penalty against Morocco.

Sportskeeda - Kylian Mbappe admitted that the referee's delay in allowing him to take the penalty caused him to lose focus during the match against Morocco at the FIFA World Cup.

Yahoo Sports - The stutter-step penalty technique has been used by Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Harry Kane, and Neymar during the World Cup, with varying levels of success.

Yahoo Sports - Neymar scored a penalty using the stutter-step technique in the last seconds against Norway before retiring from international play.

Yahoo Sports - Raúl Jiménez is noted as statistically the best penalty-taker in the Premier League, having scored on all 14 of his kicks.

Sportskeeda - Fans reacted to Mbappe's missed penalty, stating he has "no excuse" for his performance.

Sportskeeda - Kylian Mbappe missed a penalty during the first half of the 2-0 victory against Morocco in the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-final.

Daily Mail Sports - Roy Keane criticized the penalty delay, stating, "It's NOT right."

Sportskeeda - Erling Haaland expressed disappointment over the penalty delay before Mbappe's attempt.

Sportskeeda - Kylian Mbappe appeared to complain to the referee after missing a penalty.

Daily Mail Sports - Mbappe was forced to wait for over three minutes before taking the penalty.

WHERE:

Daily Mail Sports - The incident occurred during a FIFA World Cup quarter-final match against Morocco.

WHEN:

Sportskeeda - The 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-final match took place on July 9, 2026.

Daily Mail Sports - The penalty was awarded during the FIFA World Cup quarter-final.

WHY:

Sportskeeda - Kylian Mbappe revealed, "I had never been in a situation like that," referring to the referee's delay that caused him to lose focus before the penalty miss.

Sportskeeda - Celeste Amarilla, a Paraguayan senator, claimed that a French player would never have reacted as Mbappe did after the missed penalty, continuing her criticism of him.

Yahoo Sports - Goalkeepers are adapting to the stutter-step technique, becoming "creative, deliberate and volatile" in their attempts to pressure shooters.

Sportskeeda - Celeste Amarilla, a Paraguayan senator, continued her condemnation of Mbappe, claiming his performance was a significant factor in eliminating Paraguay from the tournament.

Sportskeeda - Celeste Amarilla, a Paraguayan senator, condemned Mbappe's performance, claiming it eliminated her nation from the tournament.

Daily Mail Sports - The penalty was awarded in favor of France after Mbappe was fouled by Noussair Mazraoui.

HOW:

Daily Mail Sports - The referee pointed to the spot to award the penalty after the foul.

Erling Haaland has criticized the lengthy VAR review that took place before Kylian Mbappe missed a first-half penalty against Morocco. Mbappe himself acknowledged the impact of the delay, stating, "I had never been in a situation like that," which contributed to his loss of focus. This incident has sparked discussions about the effectiveness and timing of VAR in crucial moments of the game.