Kylian Mbappe missed a penalty at the FIFA World Cup for the first time as Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou produced another moment of brilliance in their quarter-final clash in Boston on Thursday. The Atlas Lions goalkeeper saved the France captain's spot-kick in the 27th minute to keep the scores level at 0-0, while equalling the World Cup record for the most penalties saved in the tournament, including shootouts.
The dramatic sequence began in the 25th minute when Désiré Doué won possession to spark a rapid French counterattack. Michael Olise threaded a pass into the path of Mbappe, who burst into the penalty area before being brought down by Noussair Mazraoui. Referee Facundo Tello immediately pointed to the spot, but the penalty was delayed by a lengthy VAR check before Mbappe took the kick. The spot-kick was eventually taken 3 minutes and 11 seconds after the original challenge.
Mbappe attempted to wrong-foot Bounou with a trademark stuttered run-up, but the Moroccan goalkeeper refused to commit early. Reading the effort perfectly, Bounou dived to his left to make a comfortable save and preserve Morocco's clean sheet.
It was the first penalty Mbappe has failed to convert in World Cup competition. Before Thursday, the France captain had scored all four of his previous attempts on football's biggest stage, including three against Argentina in the 2022 final across normal time, extra time and the penalty shootout, along with a successful spot-kick against Paraguay in the Round of 32 at the ongoing 2026 tournament.
Meanwhile, the save was another milestone in Bounou's remarkable World Cup career. Including penalty shootouts, the Morocco goalkeeper has now faced nine penalties at the tournament, conceding only twice. He has made four saves, while three other spot-kicks have missed the target, leaving him tied for the most penalties saved by any goalkeeper in World Cup history since records began in 1966.
The save also saw Bounou equal the all-time World Cup record for penalty saves (including shootouts), shared by Harald Schumacher, Sergio Goycochea, Danijel Subašić and Dominik Livaković. He also became the first African goalkeeper to reach the milestone.
Despite the missed penalty, France dominated much of the opening half. Didier Deschamps' side registered 13 shots to Morocco's two and created the clearer opportunities, with Lucas Digne striking the post while Bounou also denied Dayot Upamecano and Doué with fine saves. Morocco, meanwhile, failed to register a shot on target before the interval but remained level thanks to another resilient defensive display and the heroics of their goalkeeper.
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