Euro 2024: Kylian Mbappe to miss remainder of group stage games for France due to broken nose
The French star was taken off injured during the opening Euro 2024 match
France scraped out a narrow 1-0 win in their opening bout against a resilient Austrian side in Group D action at the Düsseldorf Arena. Under coach Ralf Rangnick, Austria has proven to be a tough nut to crack, and so was the case in last night’s encounter as France edged past them in a nervy encounter with all three points courtesy of Maximilian Wöber’s own goal in the 38th minute.
Le Bleus are one of the frontrunners to win Euro 2024 but have a lot of reconfigurations to do after last night’s hard-fought, close win.
A bigger headache, however, for coach Didier Deschamps is the unavailability of their star player and captain, Kylian Mbappe, who suffered a broken nose during a head-on collision with an Austrian defender, after which he had to be substituted out for precautionary measures.
According to the latest reports, Mbappe will have to sit out for the remaining group stage games against the Netherlands and Poland. Missing a key player like him who guarantees goals and assists for the group stage is a massive blow, but having him back for the knockout rounds with a protective mask on is a positive development for the French national team.
France does possess a plethora of options to explore when it comes to replacing Mbappe up top. They have the luxury of bringing in an experienced clinical striker in the form of Olivier Giroud or opting for a more young and dynamic alternative in Randal Kolo Muani. With tactical tweaks, options such as Kingsley Coman and Bradley Barcola also come into the picture.
Heading into the tournament, Mbappe finished his farewell season with PSG as the Ligue 1 Player of the Season, accumulating staggering figures of 44 goals and 11 assists across all competitions, before announcing his eventual free transfer move to his dream club, Real Madrid.
France are placed in Group D of Euro 2024 alongside the Netherlands, Austria, and Poland and are still the favourites to finish the group stage phase as table toppers despite Kylian Mbappe’s absence.
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