Kylian Mbappe on Monday came off late on with a broken nose as France edged Austria 1-0 in their opening game at the UEFA Euro 2024, after Slovakia inflicted a surprise 1-0 defeat on Belgium and Romania beat Ukraine.
France, the runners-up at the 2022 World Cup, are one of the standout contenders for European Championship glory in Germany, but they were not entirely convincing against a hard-running Austria side and needed a Maximilian Woeber own goal to claim the victory.
Defender Woeber diverted Mbappe’s cutback into his own net seven minutes before halftime to decide the Group D game and leave France level on three points at the top of the section with the Netherlands.
Photo: AFP
Mbappe might have made the goal, but it was otherwise a difficult night for the new Real Madrid signing.
He was denied twice by Austrian goalkeeper Patrick Pentz in the first half and failed to hit the target from a glorious chance when sent clean through 10 minutes after the restart.
Mbappe then had to come off in the 90th minute after being left with a bloodied nose in an accidental collision with Austrian defender Kevin Danso.
A source close to the France captain confirmed shortly after the game that his nose was broken, while the French Football Federation later said Mbappe would not need surgery, but would wear a mask when he returns to action.
“A mask will be made which will allow [Mbappe] to contemplate a return to action after a period of treatment,” the federation said.
However, it is not clear if that means Mbappe would be able to play against the Netherlands in Leipzig on Friday.
France coach Didier Deschamps was not optimistic when he spoke to reporters.
“He is in a bad way. He is not well. His nose is a mess, that’s for sure. That is the black mark of the evening for us,” he said of Mbappe.
Danso yesterday sent the French striker a message of sympathy.
“I wish him a good recovery and I hope he can quickly get back on the pitch,” Danso wrote on X.
“To French supporters: I am sorry that Kylian Mbappe was injured from our duel,” added Danso, whose back was turned when Mbappe’s face struck his shoulder.
France’s 25-year-old talisman was putting on a brave face, even asking social media followers to suggest ideas for the mask.
That sparked a flood of memes online.
Meanwhile, Belgium might no longer rank among the leading contenders, but they were not expected to start with a defeat against Slovakia in Frankfurt, where Ivan Schranz of Slavia Prague in the seventh minute scored the only goal.
Belgium’s first defeat since the 2022 World Cup puts Domenico Tedesco’s team under pressure going into their second Group E match against Romania on Saturday.
Romania won at a major international tournament for the first time in 24 years as they beat Ukraine 3-0 with the help of two errors from goalkeeper Andriy Lunin.
Their last and only previous win at the tournament came when they reached the quarter-finals of Euro 2000. It was a disastrous start to the campaign for Ukraine, who must quickly regroup with games to follow against Slovakia and Belgium.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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