A brilliant night for France quickly turned sour as Kylian Mbappé limped off injured in the 3–0 win over Azerbaijan after scoring and assisting.
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Didier Deschamps confirmed the Real Madrid forward reaggravated the ankle injury that had kept him out of training earlier in the week.
With just over 10 minutes to play, Mbappe went down clutching the same ankle he injured in Real Madrid’s 3–1 win over Villarreal, before motioning to be substituted. He left the pitch in the 83rd minute and headed straight down the tunnel.
Following the match, Deschamps said: “He received another blow to the same ankle. The pain decreases when he rests. In a match, contacts are inevitably going to happen. We will assess it afterward. He has discomfort that is not ideal for him.”
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The France boss had earlier described Mbappé’s issue as a “small problem” but deemed it “not a deal breaker,” allowing him to start against Azerbaijan.
Before the injury, Mbappé opened the scoring with a stunning solo goal just before halftime and later assisted Adrien Rabiot’s strike in the 69th minute, helping France maintain their perfect World Cup Qualifying record.
The setback comes during a prolific run for the 26-year-old, who has scored in 10 straight matches and tallied 17 goals and four assists across club and country this season.
An injury now would be a blow for both France and Real Madrid, with Les Bleus set to face Iceland next and Madrid preparing for a demanding run including Getafe, Juventus and Barcelona.
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