Didier Deschamps Explains Why France Captain Was Unused Against the Netherlands

• Didier Deschamps has opened up on his reason for keeping Kylian Mbappe on the bench against the Netherlands
• France shared the spoils with the Dutch team in a pulsating encounter at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig on Friday
• Kylian Mbappe is expected to return to action in the final Group D game against Poland in Dortmund next week

France coach Didier Deschamps has disclosed that it was safer to keep Kylian Mbappe on the bench for the game against the Netherlands on Friday night.

The France captain suffered a broken nose in the opening Group D game against Austria and was expected to wear a protective mask for the game against the Dutch.

Despite training throughout the week and being declared ready for the match, Deschamps decided to keep his captain on the bench as France shared the spoils with Holland.

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According to Deschamps, he could not afford to risk his star man since the game was not a group decider.

“If it had been a decisive game I may have thought twice about him playing or not,” he said in the post-match presser, as quoted by the BBC.

“But it is important for me to think about how he is feeling, he has a bruise, he has to wear a mask and that may change his vision too.

“There is also the risk we would be taking and with each day passing we are getting to the point where he is better as well. I felt the wiser decision was to keep him on the bench.”

Mbappe could start in the final group game against Poland on June 25 at the Signal Iduna Park.

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The 25-year-old signed for Real Madrid before the start of the European Championship, as reported by CNN.

Kante shines in Mbappe’s absence as France draw

Earlier, Sports Brief reported that N’Golo Kante was the unlikely star of the show in the absence of a frustrated Kylian Mbappe as France and the Netherlands edged towards the last 16 of Euro 2024 after a 0-0 draw in Leipzig.

Recalled from a two-year international exile, Kante has rolled back the years in Germany with back-to-back man-of-the-match awards to become the fulcrum of Didier Deschamps’ midfield once more.

A star of France’s World Cup-winning team in 2018, Kante’s time with Les Bleus appeared spent after he departed Europe to join Saudi side Al-Ittihad 12 months ago.