Monday | 7 October 2024 | Reg No- 06
বাংলা
   
Monday | 7 October 2024 | Epaper
BREAKING: ● Four die, 1225 patients hospitalised with dengue      ● 105 children killed in mass uprising      ● Saber Hossain Chowdhury arrested      ● 50,000 people marooned as over 100 villages flooded in Netrokona      ● Preliminary list of 735 martyrs killed in July-Aug mass uprising published      ● Mahmudur Rahman demands banning Chhatra League in a week      ● Israeli strike on mosque in Gaza kills 26      

France hoping Kylian can deliver against Spain in Euro 2024 semi

Published : Tuesday, 9 July, 2024 at 12:00 AM  Count : 244
MUNICH, JULY 8: France go into Tuesdays Euro 2024 semi-final showdown against Spain hoping Kylian Mbappe can finally produce a performance worthy of his superstar status at a tournament in which he has struggled to find form and fitness.
The match in Munich is a mouthwatering prospect and a huge occasion in particular for Mbappe, in his first major tournament captaining his country and just before he starts a new chapter in his career at Real Madrid.
At 25, and having just completed his dream move to the Champions League winners, Mbappe should be in the prime of his footballing life.
But the man who won the World Cup as a teenager and scored an incredible hat-trick in the 2022 final in Qatar, has not been able to play anywhere near his best at the European Championship.
Mbappe joined up with the France squad after a difficult final campaign at Paris Saint-Germain which was marred by a slightly messy divorce from the club as his playing time was reduced.
Already floundering to some extent physically, lacking his usual explosive edge, a broken nose in Les Bleus opening game at the tournament against Austria has further diminished him.
He has scored just once, from a penalty, at the Euros and it may be no exaggeration to say his performance in Fridays quarter-final against Portugal in Hamburg was the worst of his career in such a big game.
Mbappe ended up being substituted halfway through extra time -- he later admitted he was simply exhausted -- and so watched from the sidelines as his teammates won on penalties.
"He might not have been here at all, so we need to look at it in a positive light," coach Didier Deschamps told broadcaster TF1 on Sunday.
"Kylian is here, even if he is not at 100 percent, and I know that has an impact on the opposition who are forced to adapt to him."
Whether Spain are too worried remains to be seen, with Mbappe clearly inhibited by the protective mask he has to wear over his injured nose.
There is little prospect of him challenging for a header, and he has indicated that his field of vision is reduced by the mask.
His poor form, along with that of vice-captain Antoine Griezmann, helps explain why France have scored just three goals in five games on their run to the semi-final -- one being Mbappes penalty against Poland and the other two coming via own goals.
However, Mbappes teammates insist they are not worried about their captains performances.
"I don think he is going through a bad period. He had a great season. If he is not scoring goals we need to help him. The competition is not over. Apart from his little nose, he is fine," said Randal Kolo Muani, who played with Mbappe at PSG in the last campaign, on Sunday.
Mbappe is Frances third-top scorer of all time with 48 goals in 83 appearances, but he has just two in his last nine caps.
In the meantime, he has settled into the role of captain which he was given after Hugo Lloris retired in the wake of the 2022 World Cup.    —AFP


LATEST NEWS
MOST READ
Also read
Sinner happy for day off after battling into Shanghai last 16
Monaco take top spot in Ligue 1 with win at Rennes
Sabalenka targets world number one and Wuhan hat-trick
Miami on track for MLS record points after win in Toronto
Madrid beat Villarreal but Carvajal suffers knee injury
Liverpool stay top of Premier League as Arsenal, Man City win
Kaur leads India to victory over Pakistan in Women's T20 WC
Dispute regarding Imroze Ahmed 
Editor : Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury
Published by the Editor on behalf of the Observer Ltd. from Globe Printers, 24/A, New Eskaton Road, Ramna, Dhaka.
Editorial, News and Commercial Offices : Aziz Bhaban (2nd floor), 93, Motijheel C/A, Dhaka-1000.
Phone: PABX- 41053001-06; Online: 41053014; Advertisement: 41053012.
E-mail: info©dailyobserverbd.com, news©dailyobserverbd.com, advertisement©dailyobserverbd.com, For Online Edition: mailobserverbd©gmail.com
🔝