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France captain Kylian Mbappe has described as “absolutely horrible” the experience of playing with a protective mask at the ongoing Euro 2024.
Mbappe, who suffered a broken nose during France‘s 1-0 victory over Austria in their opening game, leads his team in their last-16 game against Belgium on Monday.
He missed the goalless draw with the Netherlands but returned to action in the 1-1 draw with Poland. The forward netted a penalty with the mask on.
Despite his goal, the 25-year-old expressed discomfort with the mask. “I didn’t think it would be, but playing with a mask is absolutely horrible,” he admitted.
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“I have changed the mask because every time there was something that wasn’t right. It limits your vision and the sweat gets blocked up, so you have to take it off to let it run away. As soon as I can take it off, I will, but I don’t have a choice. That is how my tournament is going to be. It is really annoying, but I have to just say thanks to the mask.”
France has yet to score from open play in the tournament, with Mbappe’s goal against Poland coming from the penalty spot.
“France need to score” – Deschamps
Les Bleus coach, Didier Deschamps emphasised the importance of efficiency in the knockout stages.
“It’s not the group matches anymore,” Deschamps said. “It’s a new competition within the competition. You have to be efficient. To win matches, you have to score. That’s not done by snapping your fingers, but you need to move the cursor closer to the goal.”
France and Belgium faced in the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup, where France emerged victorious with a 1-0 win en route lifting the trophy. Both teams finished second in their respective groups in Euro 2024. The Red Devils secured their last 16 place following a 0-0 draw with Ukraine.
Belgium coach Domenico Tedesco is optimistic about his team’s chances, citing the quality and quantity of opportunities they created in the group stages.
“The quality and quantity of chances we made in the first three games was unbelievable,” Tedesco said. “It is unbelievable that we scored only two goals in three games, and France too, but this is football.”
Fans boo Belgium players
Belgium were booed by their fans after the draw with Ukraine. However, Belgium midfielder Orel Mangala remains hopeful for strong support in the upcoming match. “I believe that has been cleared up,” he said.
“I can understand that reaction. We were all frustrated. Now we are facing a new match, and I hope that all the fans stand with us and we’ll play with a lot of imagination.”
Atletico Madrid all-time goalscorer Antoine Griezmann might be reinstated into the starting lineup by Deschamps. He was benched during the last game.
Tags: France, Belgium, Poland, Didier Deschamps, Kylian Mbappe, #Euro2024, #NewsRoundTheClock, #nrtcnewsnigeria, #nrtcnews, #nrtcsports
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