T
NFL
Match Report

Mbappé injury concern follows France's 1-0 Nations League win in Turkey

Carlos Mendez
Carlos Mendez
Soccer Correspondent
10:32 PM
SOCCER
Mbappé injury concern follows France's 1-0 Nations League win in Turkey
Kylian Mbappé scored France's winner before leaving with an apparent knee problem. Zinedine Zidane said he expected the captain to return to Real Madrid for treatment.

Kylian Mbappé scored the only goal as France beat Turkey 1-0 in the Nations League on Friday, but his subsequent withdrawal left the visitors with an injury concern. According to the Guardian, the Real Madrid forward appeared to hurt his left knee shortly after scoring.

Watch the highlights:

Michael Olise supplied the pass for Mbappé's second-half finish. The captain later sat on the turf holding the area around his knee, before walking off without assistance. Zinedine Zidane brought on Désiré Doué, ending the scorer's involvement while France still had to protect their narrow lead.

The match timeline published by Global Scoreboard recorded Doué's introduction in the 59th minute, after a goalless first half. France had started with Mbappé, Olise and Ousmane Dembélé in their team, while Mike Maignan was in goal. Arda Güler and Can Uzun were among Turkey's starters.

France subsequently changed more of their attacking personnel. The same timeline recorded Bradley Barcola replacing Olise and Eduardo Camavinga coming on for Rayan Cherki in the 78th minute. Estéban Lepaul then replaced Dembélé in the 90th, as the visitors completed the closing stages without several members of their original attacking line-up.

Turkey finished a player down after goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir was dismissed. Global Scoreboard's event log placed the red card in the 87th minute, following a VAR review, with Altay Bayindir replacing Baris Alper Yilmaz a minute later. Neither side added to the score before the final whistle.

The Guardian reported that Zidane told TF1 he expected Mbappé to return to Madrid for treatment, saying the player had overextended his knee while shooting. That account did not establish a diagnosis or recovery timetable. France next face Belgium on Monday, with their captain's availability uncertain.

Global Scoreboard's Nations League match figures showed France with 64.4% possession, but both teams recorded 12 shots. France put four attempts on target to Turkey's three, while each team recorded three saves. Mbappé's finish remained the difference between the sides.

Share this article

Comments

0

No comments yet

Be the first to share your thoughts!