France captain Kylian Mbappe suffered a broken nose late on in his side’s Euro 2024 victory over Austria.
The 25-year-old, who is one of the biggest names at the tournament, was left with a bloodied face and shirt after he collided with the shoulder of Austrian defender Kevin Danso while challenging for a header.
It came after Mbappe set up the only goal of the game and squandered a great chance to make it two.
He left the stadium in an ambulance to undergo X-rays and the French Football Federation (FFF) later confirmed he had a broken nose and would have a mask made.
In the post-match news conference, manager Didier Deschamps, described the injury as “really bad”.
“We’ll have to wait and see, the medical staff are dealing with it. We’ll have to see what’s going to be done and then how long it will take. It’s very bad news for us tonight,” he said.
“Obviously, the French team with or without him, this is not the same thing. I hope he can be there.”
The injury comes as a huge blow for France, who are set to face the Netherlands on Friday.
But it does not mark the end for the French forward’s participation in the competition.
‘Any ideas for masks?’
Appearing to make light of the injury, Mbappe asked his 14 million X followers if they had: “Any ideas for masks?”
The FFF said wearing a mask will allow the player “to consider resuming competition after a period devoted to treatment”.
He is not believed to be undergoing immediate surgery.
Elsewhere in the tournament, much-favoured Belgium experienced a disappointing start to their Euro 2024 campaign after losing 1-0 to lower-ranked Slovakia.
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It was Slovakia’s Ivan Schranz who was able to guide the ball expertly into the far corner from a tight angle – a move that survived extensive VAR review.
While Romelu Lukaku – Belgium’s leading scorer – appeared to apologise to fans after controversially being denied two equalisers after VAR review.
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The next few days will be key for teams from the UK.
Scotland will hope to come back from the brutal 5-1 defeat to hosts Germany in the tournament’s opening match by claiming victory against Switzerland from 8pm tomorrow, and eyes will again be on England during their meeting with Denmark from 5pm on Thursday.
