With Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé leading the charge, France defeated Morocco 2-0 and secured a spot in the World Cup semifinals.
The Ballon d’Or winner, however, unintentionally became the center of attention in a peculiar moment just before Mbappé’s penalty kick, when Issa Diop approached him and whispered something, covering his mouth.
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We remind you that, according to the new rules, such an action should have resulted in the Moroccan player’s ejection, as happened with Almirón (Paraguay) and Incapie (Ecuador), but it didn’t happen, and there’s an explanation.
This is because, in such cases, red cards are typically shown to players who cover their mouths and speak in an aggressive or insulting manner to their opponent. In the case of Diop and Dembélé, nothing of the sort happened; in fact, the Moroccan even hugged the Frenchman after their exchange, so the referee or VAR had no reason to penalize the 29-year-old defender.
*photo source: KYPE
