Kylian Mbappe scripted an unwanted record after he missed a penalty in the first half of France’s FIFA World Cup quarter-final match against Morocco. The French captain, one of the most prolific goal scorers of this generation, wanted to place it in the bottom-right corner, but his weak shot was denied by Yassine Bounou. His failed attempt made Mbappe only the second player from France to miss a penalty at the World Cup. He, however, redeemed himself with a spectacular strike in the second half, securing a crucial lead.
Ousmane Dembele doubled their advantage a few minutes later, as Morocco were unable to bounce back and ended up losing 2-0. The score doesn’t tell the whole story, though. The Atlas Lions kept the ball in long spells and played many passes outside the French box, but lacked finishing quality, with their key forward Ismael Saibai sidelined due to an injury.
France vs Morocco Highlights: Kylian Mbappe’s Latest Record
Before Mbappe, only his former national teammate Karim Benzema had missed an in-game penalty in the FIFA World Cup. The ex-Real Madrid striker failed to convert from the spot in the 2014 edition during a group-stage game against Switzerland. He, however, made up for it with a second-half strike as France cruised to a 5-2 victory. Overall, Les Bleus have earned 18 penalties at the multi-national event.
— PitchSide (@PitchSideijoc) July 9, 2026
How many penalties has Mbappe scored in World Cups?
Mbappe has converted three penalties so far in his decorated World Cup career. Two of them came in the 2022 final, where France lost to Lionel Messi’s Argentina in the tie-breaker after a gripping battle. The other one he scored earlier in this campaign during the Round of 16 clash against Paraguay. Since his senior debut, only 15 of his 66 penalty kicks, across all competitions, have been out of target.
Despite the disappointment, Mbappe came roaring back in the second half against Morocco and equalled Messi’s tally as the World Cup 2026 top scorer, strengthening his claim for the prestigious Golden Boot. He won the award in the last edition in Qatar.
