French head coach Didier Deschamps might have taken one of the biggest gambles in his managerial career. Deschamps has decided to take the French skipper Kylian Mbappe off the field with 15 minutes left into the Quarterfinals against Portugal before the game heads into penalties. While this seems like an odd move at first, it seems Mbappe was not in the right shape to continue for the remaining part of the game.
Kylian Mbappe has been playing in the Euros with a broken nose. The player fractured his nose during a collision against Austria and, since then, has been using a protective face mask. The first half of the extra time saw Mbappe collide with Portugal’s Bernardo Silva as he took to the ground. While the player did continue for the remaining minutes, he was quickly taken off the field at the end of the first half of extra time.
Things seemed serious as Kylian Mbappe was seen nursing his nose with an ice pack while sitting in the dugouts. Fans will hope the player isn’t seriously injured and will be available for the semifinals if his team can get past Portugal tonight. Yet, the last laugh belonged to France as they defeated Portugal in the penalties!
France moves past Portugal despite Kylian Mbappe’s absence
While the decision to take Kylian Mbappe might have left fans scratching their head, Les Blues showed they are a solid side without their star player. The pressure had to be high on every French penalty taker earlier tonight, especially seeing how Diogo Costa single-handedly shut down Slovenia in the Round of 16. However, every single spot-kick taker from Ousmane Dembélé to Theo Hernandez held their nerves as France smashed all their five penalties to secure the win over Portugal.
Didier Deschamps’ decision to get Bradley Barcola in for Kylian Mbappe also played dividends as the PSG youngster smashed the ball past Diogo Costa easily. While Mike Maignan failed to get his hands on a single shot, he will be counting his luck as Joao Felix’s shot went wayward and hit the post, shattering Portugal’s dream to help Cristiano Ronaldo lift the title in his last European dance.
France will now face Spain in the semifinals of the competition. Luis de la Fuente’s side picked up a 2-1 win over hosts Germany earlier tonight and could pose an enormous challenge to Les Blues. Having Kylian Mbappe available for the fixture will go a long way as France needs all hands on board to get the win over Spain.
