Mbappe Injury Worry After Zidane's France Win in Turkey

France began Zinedine Zidane’s reign with a hard-earned Nations League win in Turkey, but Kylian Mbappe’s fitness is now a concern after the captain was forced off following his decisive goal.

Mbappe delivered the key finish before leaving the match with a physical problem, casting a shadow over an opening result that gave Les Bleus three valuable away points in difficult circumstances.

Quick facts

France won their opening Nations League fixture away to Turkey.
It was Zidane’s first match as France head coach.
Mbappe scored the decisive goal before an injury ended his evening early.
Rayan Cherki said France had only three training sessions under the new staff.
The players dedicated the victory to Zidane after a demanding contest.

Rayan Cherki praised France’s response to a physical Turkish side and a poor playing surface. The midfielder said the squad expected a demanding night and believed their work in the duels made the difference.

“We are really pleased,” Cherki said after the game. “We knew Turkey would make it difficult and the pitch made things harder too. But we were there in the challenges and gave everything.”

France were not always fluent in the final third, with the condition of the turf affecting their usual tempo. Even so, Cherki felt the team had already shown signs of absorbing Zidane’s ideas despite the limited time together.

The Manchester City player said the new coach has asked his side to take possession quickly and move the ball with purpose. Cherki admitted the players had been surprised by the quality they could produce after only three sessions on the training pitch.

“You can immediately understand what he wants: get on the ball and keep it moving,” Cherki said. “Considering the pitch, we were surprised ourselves by the level of quality we managed to show.”

Cherki, deployed centrally, said the group were determined to mark Zidane’s debut with a win. The former France great has started a new international chapter with an important result, although the immediate priority will be assessing Mbappe’s condition.

“It is a real pleasure,” Cherki said of working under Zidane. “We know what he achieved as a player and a coach, and we wanted to start this adventure by winning. This one is for him.”

France will now look to build on the result by sharpening the possession patterns Zidane wants from his side. Before that, attention in the camp will centre on whether Mbappe can recover quickly from the issue that cut short his influential display in Turkey.