Ouahbi: There Was a Handball Before Mbappé's Goal

Morocco's head coach, Mohamed Ouahbi, expressed his disappointment following their 2-0 quarter-final exit against France at the World Cup. The manager commented on the controversial situation surrounding France's opening goal and analyzed his team's performance across both halves.

"We have to admit we played against a very strong team. We struggled quite a bit in the first half, but Bono's penalty save kept us in the game. In the second half, we defended much better and were calmer when we had possession. We looked significantly improved. In the first half, I felt some players were simply out of breath, but those same players started the second half excellently," Ouahbi stated.

The Moroccan specialist specifically addressed the incident that led to Kylian Mbappé's first goal.

"The goal came from a situation where the ball was contested. Some of our players simply stopped because they saw a handball. There was a handball, but I don't know if it should have been called or not, I have no idea. Mbappé then made an individual play and scored. It was tough in the end, but I believe we must continue to believe and work," the specialist added.

The coach concluded with a look towards the future and the development of the Moroccan national team.

"We need to continue building on our foundation. It's essential that when players are injured or fatigued, we have a wider pool of alternatives. We're moving forward; we won't stop here. We are extremely disappointed because we wanted more, but we have to accept it," the Moroccan concluded.