'I let myself get distracted' - Kylian Mbappe blames confusion for penalty miss against Morocco and dismisses injury fears as France gear up for World Cup semi-final

Mbappe admitted the unusual sequence affected his concentration, although he stopped short of blaming the officials for the miss. Speaking after the match, Mbappe detailed the sequence that unfolded before his penalty.

"I didn't shoot well," Mbappe admitted, as quoted by RMC Sport. "Then it gets complicated because there's a mix-up. The referee tells me there's a penalty. So I ask him if the VAR check is complete, and he says yes.

"From that moment on, we transition to Ousmane (Dembele), who gives me the ball. Then he comes to me, when I'm already focused, to tell me there's no penalty. So I don't know, I pick up the ball, put it down again, thinking there's a penalty, and he tells me, 'No, wait, there's an action two minutes earlier that needs to be checked'."

Despite the disruption, Mbappe accepted responsibility for the miss. He added: "But that's how it is, I let myself get distracted. I've certainly gone through a lot of scenarios about how to concentrate on a penalty, but I hadn't considered this particular scenario yet. It's a scenario we'll have to consider because the referee can tell you there's a penalty, but then two minutes later he can tell you there isn't. I don't know how long it lasted. It's part of the new football. It's the new football with VAR, you have to adapt."

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