'It was a handball!' - Morocco coach suggests France goal shouldn't have stood and sees positives from World Cup quarter-final defeat

Morocco's remarkable World Cup run finally ground to a halt in the quarter-finals after being defeated 2-0 by France in Boston. Ouahbi's squad had initially harboured high hopes of dismantling the tournament favourites when goalkeeper Yassine Bounou successfully thwarted Mbappe's first-half penalty. However, their resilience was finally broken in the 60th minute by the Real Madrid star's strike, before an additional goal from Ousmane Dembele six minutes later sealed an absolute victory for the European giants.

After the intense match, Ouahbi criticised referee Facundo Tello for allowing France's opening goal to stand. The manager insisted that French midfielder Adrien Rabiot had actively handled the ball before it was snapped up by Mbappe, who ripped it into the back of the Moroccan net.

Speaking to beIN Sports, Ouahbi said: "The goal came from a bit of a... shared ball, some people stopped because they saw a handball. It was a handball, I don't know if it should have been called or not, I don't know."

Despite feeling aggrieved by Les Bleus' opener, Ouahbi maintained a magnanimous stance by praising the profound quality possessed by his opponents. He also noted a collective upward trajectory in his players' performance, particularly regarding their composure in possession throughout the second half of the match.

The 49-year-old coach added: "We have to admit that we played against a very good team. We suffered a lot in the first half, and Bounou made a great save on the penalty. In the second half, we defended better and, above all, we were more composed with the ball. We were much better. In the first half, it seemed like some players were catching their breath. We saw that these same players started the second half well.

"It was tough at the end, but I believe we must continue to believe, to work. We must also continue to work on the basics, ensuring that when there are injuries, players who are less fresh, we can have a larger pool of players. We will continue, we will not stop here. We are very disappointed, we wanted more, but we have to accept it."

Following the defeat, Morocco’s primary focus shifts toward expanding their squad depth to combat fitness and injury crises, ensuring the new generation matures in their foundational play. Meanwhile, France march on to the semi-finals in Dallas to challenge Spain or Belgium, with Mbappe continuously hunting down Lionel Messi’s all-time World Cup goalscoring record.