As France loses to Poland in a dismal Euro 2024 tie, Didier Deschamps discusses how Kylian Mbappe’s mask affected his play.

Didier Deschamps, the manager of France, has acknowledged that Kylian Mbappe was impacted by his facemask during Tuesday’s Euro 2024 tie with Poland.

Consequently, what happened?France and Poland drew 1-1 on Tuesday to conclude their Euro 2024 group stage. Following his injury in their first game against Austria, Kylian Mbappe scored on his comeback, but Robert Lewandowski’s penalty kept Poland in the game at a tie. As a result, the Netherlands comes in third in Group D while France comes in second, behind Austria.

THE LARGER IMAGE

With a mask on to cover his injured nose, Mbappe’s return will be fantastic news for France and their chances of winning the tournament. Lewandowski had warned the striker that donning a mask may “slow a player down” prior to the match, and Deschamps acknowledged on Tuesday that it did have an impact on his star player.

THOUGH DESCHAMPS SAID

“I thought he was quite good on his feet but he needs to get used to it with his mask,” he told reporters. He has to wipe his eyes when he sweats because it stings, but he is always eager to play and the game will benefit him.”

Additionally, according to Deschamps, his team deserved to place second in the group: “I’m not disappointed at all, really.” We took the necessary actions, generated numerous opportunities, and took the lead in the match. We persevered till the very end. We are in the position we desire. We were in a very tough group; the Netherlands defeated Austria while we lost to them. We are deserving of second place because the last 16 is a fresh competition. To score more goals, it’s evident that we need to get better at it. To be honest, though, I would have been more concerned if we had had less opportunities to score.”

FUTURE STEPS FOR FRANCEA

France moves into the knockout stages, Mbappe will need to swiftly adjust to wearing the mask for the remainder of the competition. Les Bleus’s second-place result could make the squad’s path to the championship more difficult because they are now in the same half of the draw as Germany, the hosts, an excellent Spain team, and Portugal led by Cristiano Ronaldo.