Kylian Mbappé was left out of France’s starting lineup for their 0-0 draw against the Netherlands at the European Championship on Friday and remained on the bench throughout the match.
After breaking his nose during France’s 1-0 win over Austria on Monday, Mbappé’s participation was uncertain. Despite training with a face mask on Thursday and coach Didier Deschamps expressing optimism, Deschamps finally decided against playing him to avoid any risk against the physical Dutch defenders.
Mbappé appeared at ease when he arrived at the stadium, wearing sunglasses but no nose bandage, unlike during his light training session on Wednesday. Before the match, he warmed up with a plain black face mask, initially sitting on a football while his teammates stretched. He adjusted the mask several times before joining the substitutes in practice.
UEFA regulations required Mbappé to wear a plain-colored mask with no team or manufacturer logos, contrary to the personalized mask he wore on Thursday, which featured the French flag, his initials, the French Football Federation rooster, and his No. 10 flanked by two stars.
Both France and the Netherlands now have four points in Group D. Earlier on Friday, Austria defeated Poland 3-1, bringing their points total to three. Poland, with no points after two games, can no longer advance in the tournament due to their head-to-head record against Austria, even if they win their final match against France.