Kylian Mbappé says ankle hit was nothing serious after Morocco win

Kylian Mbappé came out of France's 0-2 win over Morocco with two obvious talking points, an ankle scare and a missed penalty. His message afterwards was calm rather than defensive. "I'm fine! I took a hit to the ankle, but everything's okay," he said, after France vs Morocco sent France into the semifinals of the tournament, according to the match report.

Mbappé's take on the penalty miss

Mbappé did not try to dress up the miss. "I shot the penalty badly, but it was tricky , there was confusion. The referee tells me it's a penalty, so I got prepared. Then, he comes and tells me it may not be a penalty," he said. He added: "I lost my focus, I've never been in a situation like this before,"

That sequence is the part worth dwelling on. The referee initially told Mbappé it was a penalty, then suggested it might not be a penalty. That is unusual enough on its own, and it helps explain why Mbappé framed the miss as a focus issue as much as a technical one.

The substitution and what France got anyway

The ankle concern did not lead to a long wait for a medical update. Mbappé was taken off in the 77th minute and replaced by Jean-Philippe Mateta, with Mbappé saying, "Mateta was more ready than I to play the last 15 minutes,". He also still posted a strong output in the game, with one goal and one assist, four shots and a 7.9 rating.

France's wider run has not slowed either. They have won their last five World Cup matches, and Mbappé's comments fit that mood better than any panic around the missed spot-kick. He left the pitch early, but he did not sound like a player carrying a serious problem, and France now move on with that quarterfinal win over Morocco in the bank.