France captain Kylian Mbappe suffered a broken nose in his team’s win over Austria at Euro 2024 on Monday, which could hamper his ability to represent the national team for the remainder of the tournament.
Few details about the severity of Mbappe’s injury are known at this time, but France’s medical team confirmed to local broadcaster TF1 that he did, in fact, break his nose and that they will need to assess the World Cup winner before making a decision on his availability for the rest of the competition. Official word on Mbappe’s status from France’s medical team is expected in the next 24 to 48 hours, but L’Equipe reports that the player may need to undergo surgery at the University of Dusseldorf to correct the issue.
Mbappe clashed with Austria defender Kevin Danso in the 86th minute and came out of it with blood all over his face and shirt. Austria goalkeeper Patrick Pentz urged the medical team to treat Mbappe moments after the incident, who worked on the player for several minutes. Mbappe then made an attempt to re-enter the field but fell to the ground straight after and was subsequently substituted in the 90th minute, with veteran forward Olivier Giroud taking his place.
France manager Didier Deschamps was brief with his post-match assessment of Mbappe’s injury but admitted it was one of the low points of the night.
“Kylian’s nose is not good at all,” he told TF1 shortly after the final whistle. “It’s obviously the downside of this evening.”
Before the injury, Mbappe played a key role in France’s win by forcing the own goal scored by Maximilian Wober in the 38th minute to ensure they would begin the Euros on a winning note.
Mbappe was expected to play a big part for France as they aim to win the Euros for the first time since 2000, but even if he’s cleared to play by the medical team, he might run into another issue in terms of his availability. In his attempt to rejoin the match, Mbappe re-entered the field without the referee’s permission and picked up a yellow card for it. Players will be suspended for one game at the Euros if they pick up two yellow cards, and bookings will not be wiped until after the quarterfinals.
France resume their Euro 2024 on Friday, when they face the Netherlands with top spot in Group D on the line.
