Goal drought, bloodied nose underlines Kylian Mbappe’s Euro misfortune

DUSSELDORF – A broken nose, a booking for unsportsmanlike conduct and an unfathomable miss that silenced the crowd at the Dusseldorf Arena.

France’s Kylian Mbappe has underlined his troubled relationship with the European Championship amid uncertainty over his injury suffered on June 17.

The Les Bleus captain, to his credit, was sublime in creating the goal that beat Austria 1-0 in their Group D opener, but his failure to score at a Euro will weigh heavily on a player who has found the net 12 times at World Cups – including a hat-trick in the 2022 final in Qatar.

Mbappe’s last match at a European Championship before the Austria game ended in acrimony for France.

His miss in a shoot-out was the trigger for their shock last-16 exit by Switzerland at Euro 2020, after his side squandered a two-goal advantage late in the game.

Goal droughts do not come often for the superstar forward, but France’s latest Euro 2024 game marked his fifth successive Euro match without scoring after a combined 18 goal attempts.

The 25-year-old was impressive and involved in just about every move, but it just was not his night.

He

ended it with a bloodied nose

after a nasty collision with the shoulder of Austria’s Kevin Danso while attempting to head home a free kick, which he had won when he took a blow to the face moments earlier.

After receiving treatment, he left the field initially. But, in a bizarre move, he returned minutes later, then sat down on the pitch, prompting boos and jeers from the Austrian fans and a yellow card for unsportsmanlike conduct.

“It’s very bad news for us tonight. If you had Kylian who is in a difficult situation... Obviously, the French team with or without him, this is not the same thing. I hope he can be there,” France coach Didier Deschamps said.

Given Mbappe’s performance, France will be hoping it will not be long before he is firing again and that he recovers in time for their next game with Netherlands on June 21.

The French Football Federation said afterwards that he will not need surgery, but will wear a mask when he returns to action.

A statement said Mbappe had undergone tests at a hospital in Dusseldorf before rejoining the squad.

“A mask will be made which will allow (Mbappe) to contemplate a return to action after a period of treatment,” it said.

However, it is not clear if that means he will play against the Netherlands in Leipzig.

Les Bleus, the 2018 World Cup winners and 2022 runners-up, had to toil hard even with their star man on the pitch and would surely have to do more if he is not fit.

Mbappe was the standout French player, reeling off perfectly weighted passes, coolly spreading the ball around and injecting bursts of lightning pace to leave his markers for dead. He created a goal from nothing near half-time with a quick shimmy to skip around three players before delivering a cross that was headed into his own net by Maximilian Wober.

The forward chased everything, starting one move in his own half with a pass before sprinting two-thirds of the way down the field to try to finish off the move.

He stunned the crowd in the 54th minute when he accelerated past an opponent at the halfway line and darted into the area but uncharacteristically fired a shot wide, prompting a cheeky grin.

While Mbappe’s injury cast a shadow over the victory, a huge bonus for France was the sight of N’Golo Kante – a surprise pick for the squad after a two-year absence – producing a majestic display at the heart of midfield.

Austria, whose relentless high-pressing and tackling never wavered, struggled to create many chances and more often than not it was Kante who blocked their path.

Coach Ralf Rangnick had promised his side would go toe-to-toe with France and they were as good as his word.

“All in all the French earned the win, but that we were chasing the equaliser throughout speaks for the performance of our team,” he said. REUTERS, AFP