Kylian Mbappe got his goal anyway with a more brilliant finish, a trademark curler with just an inch of space to spare, but Real Madrid, French, and world football fans could not believe the Argentinian officiating crew and the VAR room's decision to take more than three minutes to review a clear and obvious penalty in the first half with no explanation as to what they were reviewing.
The review was akin to icing the kicker in American football, throwing Mbappe off any natural rhythm before the penalty kick. Mbappe even had to walk away from the spot and readjust himself multiple times as the tension built, and while he is a top professional and used to his nerves, you could tell from his run up that the strange, unprecedented length and nature of the review had successfully thrown him off his game - thus handing Morocco an advantage.
And it was not just Mbappe and the fans who were upset with the referees over this decision. Erling Haaland has always been loved by the Real Madrid fans, but now with a close relationship with Vinicius Junior, he is becoming even closer to the hearts of the Madridistas.
Erling Haaland is becoming a closer friend of Madridistas
And now, Haaland is paying his respect and getting on the good side of the current Real Madrid No. 9, Kylian Mbappe. The fellow World Cup quarterfinalist posted on Snapchat in support of Mbappe and against the refs for taking so long to review the penalty.
Haaland said, via the Madrid Zone, "Need to wait 5 minutes to take a penalty is way too long."
It was not quite five minutes, but it was actually only about a minute away from getting there. Mbappe got hosed by the refs, and fans were already coming into the game concerned that, for the first time at the World Cup this year, an entire officiating crew was composed of only one nation - and Argentina no less, the team that played France in the last World Cup and has been at the center of many controversial decisions this tournament.
Erling Haaland has been leaving the door open for a possible Real Madrid transfer in the future, with even Fabrizio Romano and his own father, a Manchester City icon, telling fans not to rule out the possibility of a move happening in a few years. As Haaland continues to build strong relationships with the Real Madrid stars and fans, they will want him more.
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