France beat Senegal 2-0 in their FIFA World Cup 2026 match in Miami, but the game’s main talking point is a penalty appeal involving Kylian Mbappé. In the 58th/59th minute, Mbappé drives into the penalty area from the right and goes down after a challenge from Senegal captain Sadio Mané. The referee, Alireza Faghani, initially allows play to continue or indicates no penalty and signals for a goal kick. France subsequently appeals for a spot kick, and the incident is reviewed using the Video Assistant Referee (VAR). After checking the footage, the referee stands by the original decision. According to accounts from multiple outlets, the referee concludes that Mbappé initiates contact, with replay angles described as suggesting Mané clips Mbappé’s trailing leg as Mbappé moves through the challenge. France head coach Didier Deschamps reacts angrily to the call and is seen arguing with match officials. The decision draws criticism from pundits, former referees, and fans, though the referee’s judgment remains decisive following VAR review.
Mbappé penalty appeal denied as VAR upholds referee’s decision in France vs Senegal
France beat Senegal 2-0 in their FIFA World Cup 2026 match in Miami, but the game’s main talking point is a penalty appeal involving Kylian Mbappé. In the 58th/59th minute, Mbappé drives into the pena...
- France defeat Senegal 2-0 in the FIFA World Cup 2026 match in Miami.
- Kylian Mbappé goes down in the penalty area after a challenge from Sadio Mané in the 58th/59th minute.
- Referee Alireza Faghani initially does not award a penalty and signals a goal kick.
- VAR review is conducted, but the referee upholds the no-penalty decision.
- Reports say the referee determines Mbappé initiates contact, and Deschamps reacts angrily to the outcome.
The biggest talking point came when Mbappe drove into the penalty area from the right and went down under a challenge from Sadio Mane in the 58th minute. Referee Alireza Faghani waved play on, but replays appeared showed that the Senegal captain was clipping Mbappe's trailing leg.
2 months agoFrance secured a 2-0 win over Senegal, but the match was overshadowed by a controversial refereeing decision involving Kylian Mbappe. The France captain was brought down in the penalty area by Sadio Mane, yet referee Alireza Faghani refused to award a penalty even after a VAR review. The decision drew strong criticism from pundits, former referees and many fans watching worldwide.
2 months agoFrance were denied a penalty after Kylian Mbappe was tackled from behind by Sadio Mane during their FIFA World Cup 2026 clash in Miami.Mbappe went down following the challenge, and the referee sought Video Assistant Referee (VAR) assistance but stood by his decision, determining that it was Mbappe who had "initiated contact".France head coach Didier Deschamps was livid after the decision in what was a controversial moment in the match.pic.twitter.com/7AdpVRLxQy— @talkFootX | follow (@sadgirlmalvina) June 16, 2026 What happened in France vs Senegal?In the 59th minute, Kylian Mbappe was brought down in the box by a sliding tackle from Sadio Mane. France appealed for a penalty bu the referee remained unmoved and signalled for a goal kick. After VAR review, the ref in question was asked to take a look at the screen to make a decision. After going over the footage, the referee stuck to his decision and did not award France the penalty. The decision confused Mbappe, while France head coach Didier Deschamps was furious and argued with the 4th official. He could be seen gesturing that there was contact between Mane and Mbappe. Kylian Mbappé Equals French Goal-Scoring Record With His First Goal Of FIFA World Cup 2026 | VIDEOWhy was the penalty not given?The referee after viewing the footage signalled a goal kick and said that it was Mbappe who had initiated contact. The France forward jumped over the sliding Mane before tumbling onto the ground. Mbappe effectively hurdled over Mane’s leg after spotting the challenging coming in.Was it the right decision? It is tricky, but given the minimal contact, the referee opted to side with Senegal on that instance.
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