France is one of the favourites to win the UEFA Euro 2024, according to the bookies and numerous fans. They have a remarkable squad that can compete against anyone. The manager, Didier Deschamps, gets to choose from multiple quality players in every position. Some may say that he has a unique problem selecting the starting eleven.
During their opening game at the Euro 2024, they faced Austria in a tough match. Both teams fought hard until the last minute, but in the end, France won the match by just 1-0. The win didn’t surprise the fans. However, the French squad did lack consistency throughout the whole match.
Mbappé Saves the Day Once Again
The French national team has many stars, but there is no doubt that Mbappé is the best of them all. It’s one of the reasons why this player is the captain of the French squad.
Whenever he’s out of form or not playing, the French team struggles to dominate the match. This is mainly true when they play against other top national teams.
Mbappé didn’t score against Austria, but he did help get the winning goal. He dribbled past a few defenders on the right and made a cross that hit one of the defenders. After that, the ball went into the net, making it the only goal of the match.
The Austrian team struggled to lower Mbappé’s impact on the match. Throughout the entire match, he made a total of four shots and successfully dribbled multiple Austrian players. He even had a 92% pass accuracy and won two aerial duels.
But, despite his incredible performance, he didn’t win the Man of the Match award. This prize went to N’golo Kante, who once again was everywhere on the field.
It’s worth mentioning that Austria was also decent in this match. They did underperform in the first half but improved greatly in the second half. All that was missing was a goal. Without the own goal that they scored, this match would’ve easily gone a different way.
French fans believe that their team will perform even better in the upcoming matches. Among them are many bettors that get involved in Euro 2024 betting, some even backing France to win the competition.
The French Captain Suffered an Injury Against Austria
Kylian Mbappé enjoyed a spectacular match but was unlucky right at the end. In an attempt to hit the ball with his head, the Frenchman collided with Austria’s Kevin Danso.
Unlucky for Mbappé, he hit the opposite player’s shoulder, which left him with a bloody nose. It later turned out that he actually broke his nose. After the match, the medical staff took him to a local Düsseldorf hospital where an X-ray scan confirmed the break.
The first signals indicated that the player would need surgery right away. However, the French Football Federation (FFF) dismissed these speculations.
They stated that Mbappé returned to the base camp of the French team. There he would undergo treatment in the upcoming days, but without getting an immediate surgery. In order for the player to resume playing for his national team, the FFF will make a special mask for him.
The mask will protect his nose from getting even worse while playing in the future Euro 2024 matches. Mbappé will return to the pitch only after the period devoted to treating his injury.
At the moment, it’s unclear whether Mbappé will be fit to play against the Netherlands on Friday. Some say that the French player will miss the rest of the Euro 2024 group stage. But, according to the FFF president, Philippe Diallo, it’s still premature to decide whether he’ll be out of the competition.
Didier Deschamps said that the French team is always stronger with Kylian. But, if the news isn’t good, then he and the team will continue fighting without their best player.
The manager also said that the medical staff did everything in their power to reduce the injury. He concluded by stating that the player would need surgery after the tournament.
Hopefully, his injury doesn’t get any worse during another Euromatch or a training session. Getting another hit on his nose will surely end his Euro 2024 dream.
