While Didier Deschamps remained in doubt as to whether Kylian Mbappé will reappear today at the Wesfalenstadion in Dortmund (6:00 p.m., La1) with the definitive mask to protect his battered nose, Robert Lewandowski announced a certainty. Today, against France, will not be his last game with Poland: “I don’t want to regret retiring from the national team, that moment has not yet come,” the Barcelona attacker concluded with a half smile.
Pointed out as two of the forwards who should make a difference in this Euro Cup, the first phase has been an ordeal for both. Mbappé broke his nose in the first match and his call to vote to stop the French far-right has earned him reproaches from them. In the case of Lewandowski, critical voices have emerged in Poland claiming that his time has passed and that he now conditions the game too much for the performance he offers.
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The Barça player’s appearance had generated expectations in case he announced his goodbye to the national team after 151 games and 82 goals. “Someday I will wake up and think about it. I know I’m 36 years old, but that moment will be a decision I make with my family. I still have fire inside and I feel that something is being built with young people,” he explained.
A muscle tear in a friendly against Turkey before the tournament began prevented the veteran scorer from making his debut against the Netherlands (1-2). In the second match, against Austria, he entered the pitch at the hour mark to try to avoid the defeat (1-3) that ended up making Poland the first team to get a ticket back home. “It’s late, but I haven’t been able to play from the start before. For me, this injury has been a drama. I have tried to help the team as much as possible in training and outside of them,” claimed a rueful Lewandowski.
While he will play safely, Mbappé will be a mystery until an hour before the duel. The big clue as to whether he will return today was his possible presence at the press conference prior to the crash. He did not appear, so we will have to wait for the final decision made by Deschamps. On Sunday, Mbappé played the 60 minutes of the game that the French coach set up against the Paderborn youth team. Scorer of two goals, the French star wore a black mask with better peripheral visibility having enlarged the eye holes. This protection seems to be the definitive one after having tried two others. The model aroused the phlegm of Antonie Griezmann, who when Mbappé went out onto the field began to hum the Zorro song: “There was a rider…”.
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“Breathing doesn’t bother him. The vision, yes,” Deschamps explained. “I have never worn it, but for those who have, it limits vision a bit. It is a mask, the essential thing is that it protects you,” added the coach. Mbappé has been trying to adapt to the protections for a week until he has found one with which he seems to feel comfortable. “In some situations he limits a little, but if he plays I am not going to change his position. Contact is everywhere, in all duels. “He changes the vision when it comes to positioning himself in a situation,” remarked the French coach.
France needs to win and score two more goals than the Netherlands to secure first place in the group. With only one goal in favor, the one scored as an own goal by Austrian defender Wōber, Mbappé’s substitution could be a risk. “It’s very good, today [por ayer] he was feeling better. He has trained. The hematoma has developed well. I don’t hide that he really wants to play, but he also really wanted to play against the Netherlands,” Deschamps added. “We all know his finishing quality. We had quite a few chances in the game against the Netherlands, which he didn’t play. With the return of Mbappé, he will be able to help us score and generate more, in addition to being more effective,” said N’Golo Kanté.
The small midfielder shared with Deschamps the feeling that Mbappé has improved. “I forgot he had a mask because he was good in training. I hope he feels ready for the game. Another thing is that Deschamps prefers to reserve it for the round of 16,” the outlet closed.
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2024-06-25 05:49:25
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