Didier Deschamps did not want to know about a bluff with Kylian Mbappé. "If it had been a decisive game, I might have thought twice about it," he said. France's national soccer coach had left his star player, goalscorer and captain on the bench for the 0-0 draw between the European Championship co-favorites and the Netherlands after he broke his nose at the start of the week on Friday evening. "He has bruises," emphasized the coach of the Équipe Tricolore after the game in the European Championship stadium in Leipzig: "After everything that happened, I thought it was the better decision."
Mbappé did not even take part in the warm-up
Mbappé suffered the injury on Monday in the 1-0 defeat against Austria. On Thursday, Deschamps had assured that everything would be done to ensure that Mbappé would be available against the Dutch. In reality, however, the 25-year-old future Real Madrid professional was not even among the players warming up on the sidelines for a possible substitution.
The problem: without Mbappé, France's chances of victory are also dwindling. Of the last six games without him in the starting line-up, the Grande Nation have not won a single one. Four were draws and two ended in defeat. "Kylian is Kylian, you can't compare him to anyone else," said Deschamps. Even with Mbappé in the opening match, the French are still waiting for their first goal at this European Championship; the match against Austria was decided by an own goal.
It's all about first place
It remains to be seen whether Deschamps will start the pacy attacker next Tuesday against Poland, who have already been eliminated without points. The French side (4 points) are in a long-distance duel with group leaders the Netherlands (4) and Austria (3) for first place in the table.
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