Zidane makes winning debut, Mbappé injured — The National

According to The National, in Kocaeli, Turkey, France defeated Turkey 1-0 in the opening match of UEFA Nations League Group A1. It was Zinedine Zidane’s first match as head coach of the French team.

Kylian Mbappé opened the scoring in the 55th minute, finishing Michael Olise’s pass with a low shot. The goal was the forward’s 67th for France. Immediately after the strike, Mbappé felt pain in his left knee and left the pitch limping a few minutes later. He was replaced by Désiré Doué.

Mbappé’s injury

The French Football Federation reported that Mbappé suffered a torn tendon in his knee and will miss the remainder of the training camp. Zidane said the player hyperextended his knee during the strike, after which swelling appeared, so the team does not want to risk his health.

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Zidane gave a positive assessment of his team’s performance. France had possession for 64% of the time, while the Turkish team had the same number of shots as their opponent — 12 each. France will next play away against Belgium, while Turkey will play in Italy.

Italy’s defeat and Sweden’s victory

In another Group A1 match, Italy lost 0-2 to Belgium in Rome in Roberto Mancini’s first game after returning as national team coach. The goals were scored by PSG’s Mika Godts and Benfica’s Dodi Lukebakio. Mancini called the fans’ whistles and shouts after the match part of the game.

In Group B4, Sweden beat Romania 2-1 at home. Alexander Isak scored in the 20th minute, while Viktor Gyökeres found the net before half-time. After the match, Isak was limping due to a toe injury he sustained after an opponent stepped on him.