Mbappe goal overshadowed by knee injury to mar Zidane debut France win

Kylian Mbappe’s strike from the left flank produced the only goal as France beat Turkiye 1-0 in the UEFA Nations League on Friday, but the occasion was marred when the Real Madrid forward appeared to pick up a left-knee problem and was substituted soon after. Mbappe, who has been moved to the left wing by new coach Zinedine Zidane, controlled a pass from Michael Olise and fired low into the near post for his 67th international goal.

Celebration quickly turned to concern when Mbappe winced and then prodded the outside of his left knee after trying to continue following treatment. He ultimately walked off and was replaced by Desire Doue, leaving both France and his club to await further information on the severity of the issue. France face three more matches over the next 10 days before the club season resumes, increasing the urgency of any assessment.

The match was Zidane’s first in charge after being appointed in late July on a deal running to 2030. His initial lineup was largely similar to the side that featured at the World Cup, with a few changes including Adrien Truffert at left-back and Manchester City’s Rayan Cherki starting. Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise had a late first-half attempt tipped over by Turkiye goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir, and Jules Kounde struck the post in the second half.

Turkiye were reduced to 10 men late in the game when goalkeeper Cakir came off his line and handled the ball to stop a through-ball to Bradley Barcola. After an on-field decision to play on, German referee Felix Zwayer reviewed the incident via VAR and upgraded the decision to a red card. France will travel to Brussels next to face Belgium on Monday, while Turkiye host Italy on the same day.