Why didn’t Mbappé finish the match against Portugal? He’s not in the best shape, says the coach. I was tired, admits captain

France advanced to the semifinals of the European Championship on Friday night, beating Portugal on penalties. They will face Spain in the final. But some fans were worried about the Gallic captain. Kylian Mbappé was substituted in extra time. Why?

• France have reached the semi-finals of EURO 2024
• Kylian Mbappé did not play the match against Portugal
• The coach and captain spoke about his substitution

The Gallic country was one of the biggest favourites before the start of the championship. After all, given the stars it has at its disposal and the ones it brought to Germany, it could not have been otherwise. And so far, it has somehow managed to confirm it.

France has reached the semi-finals of the European Championship. But it’s hard to say that it was a hit parade. Captain Kylian Mbappé is struggling and so is the whole team, which rewrote negative records by being the first to go so far without scoring a goal.

Didier Deschamps’s charges have made it this far on penalties or own goals by their opponents. In terms of xG statistics, i.e. expected goals, Scotland, for example, did better. The French don’t create many great chances.

No wonder the fans criticise them. Nobody seems to have a worse game in the tournament. After 20 long years, it seems that someone can compete with Greece, the EURO 2004 winner, in terms of “attractiveness” of the game. At least we see such comparisons.

But France will have to prove themselves in the semi-finals. It will challenge Spain, the best team in the tournament so far, in terms of goals scored and play. However, it has to deal with unpleasant absences.

How is Kylian Mbappé?

One of the big topics ahead of the semi-final duel is the state of Kylian Mbappé. He was supposed to be one of the biggest stars of the tournament, he was one of the favourites to win the King of Scorers crown. However, he has just one goal to his name from a penalty.

Besides, he has to play with a face mask because of an injury. He was not visible in the match against Portugal and did not even play. He was substituted in extra time by coach Didier Deschamps. There was speculation about him being fit for the next game at all.

But at least in this respect, Deschamps and Mbappé calmed the fans down. “In the first period of extra time, Kylian struggled unnecessarily. He was always honest with me and the team. It was natural to send fresh blood into the game. It was also obvious that Kylian was tired. It’s not easy on his muscles with all he’s been through. He knows he is not at the top of his form,” Get Football News France quotes the coach as saying.

Mbappé himself then acted as an exemplary captain. He put the team first. “I told the coach I didn’t feel like it anymore. At the end of the regular season, we addressed it. We decided to give it a go in extra time, but after half-time I said I was too tired. When you’re captain, you have to be there for your teammates. Whatever happens, the most important thing is that we win,” says the Real Madrid star.

Source: Get Football News France, UEFA