Frenchman Kylian Mbappé was taken to a hospital in Düsseldorf after breaking his nose in France's 1-0 victory over Austria at the European Championship in Germany on Monday.
After initially fearing that his star forward would need surgery and could miss time at the Euros, French Football Federation president Philippe Diallo told ESPN's Julien Laurens that the team's medical staff determined Mbappé would be fine. without an operation after undergoing new tests.
The Real Madrid forward left the hospital at 1:00 a.m. local time and is back with the team. Mbappé is having a custom mask made that he will have to wear when he returns to play and is considered questionable for Friday's game against the Netherlands.
Des ideas of masks 🎭😅?
— Kylian Mbappé (@KMbappé) June 17, 2024
The striker, involved in the first-half goal, collided with his head with Austrian Kevin Danso at the end of the Group D match at the Düsseldorf Arena. He was in obvious pain as he lay curled up on the grass, prompting Austrian goalkeeper Patrick Pentz to seek medical attention.
“He has a very bad sense of smell,” said director Didier Deschamps. “We'll have to wait and see, the medical staff is taking care of it. We'll have to see what's going to be done and then how long it will take. Tonight is very bad news for us.”
“Obviously, the French team with or without him is not the same. I hope he can be there.”
Mbappé was treated after the collision and his shirt was covered in blood from what appeared to be a blow to the nose. He tried to continue playing, but quickly fell to the ground, holding his face and drawing whistles and boos from the Austrian fans, who seemed to believe he was wasting time as France held on to win.
He was cautioned by referee Jesús Gil Manzano and was replaced by Olivier Giroud.
France got an own goal from Maximilian Wober in the 38th minute and gave Deschamps his 100th victory as national team coach.
“I'm happy with what the players did, even if we missed opportunities to double the score,” Deschamps said. “It wasn't perfect, but we were solid. We could have been more efficient offensively, but it's good to start with a win.
“There is quality and talent, but being solid and working together is also important. We are not going to trust ourselves too much, but it is a good start.”
On a difficult day for Mbappé, it was his moment of inspiration that led to the decisive goal. With a flash of ball control, he beat Phillipp Mwene in the box and crossed for a team-mate. In Wober's desperation to cut off the danger, he inadvertently deflected the ball into his own goal.
Mbappé was then guilty of a notable error 10 minutes into the second half when he failed to finish from close range when only the goalkeeper could hit.
Bursting into goal, he was too quick for Wober and he had time to stabilize himself in the area before choosing his spot. While the French fans behind the goal waited for the net to swell, Mbappé's shot just missed the post, much to the relief of the Austrians.
Despite all their work and possession, Austria struggled to create many clear-cut chances, while France's N'Golo Kanté fully justified his return to the team with a masterful display in the heart of midfield.
“It started well. Not everything was perfect, but we got the result we wanted; this is a good start,” Kante said. “There are solid foundations; we have to be more efficient.
“It makes me happy to be back. Things have changed, it makes me feel good to put this shirt on again.”
Information from The Associated Press and Reuters was used in this article.
