Kylian Mbappé will leave the France squad after suffering an injury while scoring the winning goal for France in a 1-0 victory over Türkiye in the Nations League on Friday, casting a shadow over Zinedine Zidane’s debut as coach.
Mbappé rifled in a low shot in the 55th minute after being set up by Michael Olise to secure the decisive lead.
However, moments after netting his France record-extending 67th goal, the Real Madrid star sat on the turf, grimacing as he rubbed his left knee
He appeared to suffer the injury on his own, with no opponent nearby or forced challenge involved, feeling the pain immediately after his shot. Though he was initially treated and returned to the pitch, he quickly went down again and had to be substituted.
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“No, it’s not good. It’s not good, unfortunately,” Zidane told French television. “He will have to go back. We will not take risks, he has extended his knee when he took the shot. It’s not very encouraging.”
The French Football Federation (FFF) confirmed that Mbappé “suffered a tendon injury and will miss the rest of the camp.”
Zidane sent Désiré Doué to the pitch to replace Mbappé, who was able to walk off the field under his own power.
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For his first starting lineup, Zidane deployed Mbappé on the left wing, with Olise on the opposite flank and Ousmane Dembélé joining Rayan Cherki to round out a potent French attacking quartet.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
