Morocco’s fearless belief combined with France’s wastefulness almost turned into a recipe for another upset in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Yassine Bounou (aka Bono), the Moroccan goalkeeper made a miraculous penalty save that kept his from going down early and avoided the scenario of chasing an equalizer from early in the game.
In an edition that has seen the underdog knockout the favorite more than once, this tie had the ingredients for a repeat. But, Kylian Mbappé and co found the next gear to churn out two goals and put an end to any chance of an upset.
Désiré Doué’s duel with Achraf Hakimi saw France regain possession. A brilliant pass from Olise gave Mbappe the option of cutting inside or running past Noussair Mazraoui. The feint from the French captain duped the defender, forcing out a late tackle in the penalty box to stop Mbappé’s run. After a lengthy check, VAR confirmed the referee’s decision of penalty.
A whole three minutes elapsed between the penalty being called and it actually being taken. VAR took an unusually lengthy period of time to confirm the referee’s decision. Mbappé who had been waiting on the spot was at the slight disadvantage due to the delay as his rhythm was repeatedly disturbed.
Bono’s fake movement before his actual dive disguised his true direction. Mbappé who decided to go for a stuttering penalty could not read his opponent. In fact, the pause due to the stutter further confused the striker as he just could not make up his mind. The resulting shot was not only lacking in power but was far away from the corner. An underpowered shot that hardly reached halfway between the center and the corner of the goal turned out to be just the save Bono needed to keep his team alive.
In an edition that has seen the underdog knockout the favorite more than once, this tie had the ingredients for a repeat. But, Kylian Mbappé and co found the next gear to churn out two goals and put an end to any chance of an upset.
Désiré Doué’s duel with Achraf Hakimi saw France regain possession. A brilliant pass from Olise gave Mbappe the option of cutting inside or running past Noussair Mazraoui. The feint from the French captain duped the defender, forcing out a late tackle in the penalty box to stop Mbappé’s run. After a lengthy check, VAR confirmed the referee’s decision of penalty.
A whole three minutes elapsed between the penalty being called and it actually being taken. VAR took an unusually lengthy period of time to confirm the referee’s decision. Mbappé who had been waiting on the spot was at the slight disadvantage due to the delay as his rhythm was repeatedly disturbed.
Bono’s fake movement before his actual dive disguised his true direction. Mbappé who decided to go for a stuttering penalty could not read his opponent. In fact, the pause due to the stutter further confused the striker as he just could not make up his mind. The resulting shot was not only lacking in power but was far away from the corner. An underpowered shot that hardly reached halfway between the center and the corner of the goal turned out to be just the save Bono needed to keep his team alive.
4 months ago
