“Suggestions for masks?” Mbappe's broken nose has been confirmed

The 25-year-old broke his nose in the opening match against Austria. According to preliminary examinations conducted in a Dusseldorf hospital, Kylian Mbappe does not need to undergo surgery.

It is the new “nose of the nation”. French star Kylian Mbappe suffered a broken nose during the opening match of the European Championship against Austria (1-0) on Monday evening. The French Football Federation confirmed this on Tuesday evening. The 25-year-old does not need surgery at the present time, according to preliminary examinations conducted in a Düsseldorf hospital. Mbappe was injured in an aerial duel with ÖFB defender Kevin Danso.

“Suggestions for masks?” Mbappe asked his followers on “X” (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday morning. According to the association, the future Real Madrid striker will be treated at EM's headquarters in Paderborn in the coming days and there will be no need for surgery immediately. The French Football Federation said in a statement: “A mask will be made so that the number 10 in the French team can think about returning to competition after a period of treatment.”

The French will face the Netherlands in their second group match on Friday (9pm) in Leipzig, before Poland awaits Austria at the end of Group D four days later in Dortmund. Team president Didier Deschamps did not want to speculate on the length of the absence immediately after the duel with the ÖFB team, but he stressed: “The French national team – regardless of the team – is always stronger with him. But if things go differently, we will continue to fight without him.”

“We didn't lose any feathers, but we had a nose.”

Deschamps appeared affected by his star's injury. “That is of course the negative point tonight,” the long-time coach said. “We didn't lose any feathers, but we had a nose.” The 1-0 defeat to the Austrian team was just a side note. The previous day, the meeting had already been pushed in the French media to the background due to Mbappé's fiery appeal against the political shift to the right and the demand for high participation in the early elections on June 30 and July 7.

This is Deschamps' 100th win as coach of the team. The 55-year-old coach, who has been coaching the French national team since 2012, said: “It is good to win against an opponent who has shown great sportsmanship and can put you under pressure.” With the lead behind us, we should have finished some situations better. “But overall the impression was positive. It was a difficult battle, but we were good at fighting.”

Seven yellow cards

Deschamps said that all previous matches at the European Championship had one common denominator: high intensity. Seven yellow cards were handed out in Düsseldorf. “There could have been more. When things get more difficult, you have to react,” said former midfielder Deschamps. The two teams gave each other nothing. “The players represent their countries. You also have to be at the top of your game when it comes to the physical aspects.

Apparently it's N'Golo Kante. The 33-year-old, who now makes his living in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ittihad, impressed as a substitute for the injured Aurélien Chouamini in defensive midfield and was named man of the match. “That's why we brought him in,” Deschamps said of the 2018 world champion, who returned to the national team at the beginning of the month after a two-year break. “He was brilliant.” Adrien Rabiot, Kante's next team-mate, also had a great game. (Abba)