Kylian Mbappé scores but encounters issues wearing protective mask on return for France at Euro 2024
France's Kylian Mbappe gestures during a training session in Paderborn, Germany, Sunday, June 23, 2024. France will play against Poland during their Group D soccer match at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament on June 25. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Hassan Ammar]
DORTMUND, Germany (AP) — France coach Didier Deschamps has highlighted the problems Kylian Mbappé faced wearing a mask to protect his broken nose in the 1-1 draw with Poland at the European Championship. Mbappé scored a second-half penalty to mark his return to France’s starting lineup eight days after sustaining the bloody injury late in the 1-0 win over Austria on June 17. Deschamps said ahead of the game that Mbappé’s peripheral vision would be limited because of the mask but says there were other issues too. Deschamps says “when he sweats, that sticks in his eyes and he needed to wipe his eyes.”
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Kylian Mbappe of France fits a protective goggles ahead of a Group D match between the France and Poland at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Dortmund, Germany, Tuesday, June 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Themba Hadebe