Victim of a broken nose Monday during the Blues’ entry into Euro 2024 against Austria (1-0), Kylian Mbappé remained on the bench the entire match this Friday against the Netherlands ( 0-0). Story of the Blues captain’s frustrating evening.
The soap opera finally ended… with a status quo. Victim of a broken nose on Monday during the Blues’ entry into contention against Austria (1-0 victory), a misadventure which put him at the heart of the Blues’ news throughout the week , Kylian Mbappé did not come into play this Friday against the Netherlands (0-0). Available and present on the match sheet, the captain of the Blues was preserved.
>> Relive France – Netherlands
A few moments before kick-off, Guy Stéphan’s statements on M6 did not encourage optimism. “He had a shock, a trauma with this fracture of the nose, which swelled a little at the level of the nostrils. We need recovery time, it was taking a big risk to make him play. Forfeit? He is not starting the match”, was then content to comment on Didier Deschamps’ assistant.
Before the match, Mbappé appeared for the first time with an entirely black mask, the blue-white-red protection that he proudly displayed Thursday during training being prohibited by UEFA regulations. During the warm-up, the mask seemed to bother him. When he returned to the locker room, Mbappé quickly took it off, touching his face.
On the bench, the future Real Madrid striker regularly touched his nose, unprotected – not even by a bandage – when Mbappé was off the field.
Closed face, crossed arms: during the first period, he then appeared stoic on the sidelines.
When he returned from the locker room, he was much more relaxed in the tunnel. Mask in hand, smile from ear to ear, he chatted for a few moments with the assistant referee. All while still touching your nose regularly.
The former Monegasque lost a little of his good humor when the first Blues (Olivier Giroud, Kingsley Coman, etc.) left for the warm-up… without him. Still sitting comfortably on the bench, he then watched helplessly – and sometimes annoyed – as the scenario unfolded before his eyes at the end of the match, when the Blues pushed to snatch victory.
Before the match against Poland, Tuesday for the third and final group match (6 p.m.), he will have been more talked about for his formal notice from PSG, the high point of an ultimately very frustrating evening for the captain bruises.
