Good news for the French team and coach Deschamps when captain striker Kylian Mbappe shined in the first match wearing a mask since breaking his nose in France’s 1-0 win over Austria.
Mbappe suffered a broken nose after a collision with defender Danso in France’s victory over Austria in the first round of Group D of EURO 2024 (June 18). Therefore, the 25-year-old striker did not play in France’s 0-0 draw with the Netherlands in the second match.
In that match, coach Deschamps registered Mbappe on the playing list. Mbappe personally went to the field to warm up before kick-off but did not play.
After the match against the Netherlands, Mbappe returned in a closed friendly match with the Pader𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 U21 team. This is the first time the French captain has worn a mask to play and Deschamps wants to use this match to help Mbappe get used to the new equipment.
According to ESPN, this match Mbappe plays 2 halves, each half is 30 minutes. Before kickoff, Pader𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧’s young players were asked not to be too aggressive in dispute situations with Mbappe.
Against U21 Pader𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧, Mbappe shined with a double goal and 2 assists. After this closed friendly match, France will continue to practice to prepare for the match against Poland in the final round of the group stage on June 25.
At that time, coach Deschamps will evaluate Mbappe’s condition and then decide whether to let the 25-year-old striker play in the match against Poland or not. Before that, Mbappe really wanted to play in the Netherlands match, but coach Deschamps did not risk using the team’s most important player.
Currently, France only needs to draw with Poland to enter the 1/8 round, and the opponent has been eliminated one match early. In the 1/8 round of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Mbappe himself scored twice to help the home team win 3-1 against this opponent.
