CNN —
Kylian Mbappé was an unused substitute in France’s goalless draw against the Netherlands on Friday, after the striker broke his nose in his nation’s opening game of Euro 2024.
There had been fears the France captain would miss the Group D clash, but manager Didier Deschamps told reporters Thursday that his star man would be available.
However, the decision was made to rest Mbappé, who watched on as his teammates failed to find a breakthrough against the Oranje.
In truth, Les Bleus almost lost the match. Xavi Simons thought he had scored the winner for the Netherlands in the second half, but the goal was controversially ruled out for an offside.
Simons himself was clearly onside but teammate Denzel Dumfries was in an offside position and was adjudged by the video assistant referee (VAR) to have hindered France goalkeeper Mike Maignan.
Without its star striker, France struggled to finish off its chances and continued to be wasteful in front of goal throughout the match – Adrien Rabiot and Antoine Griezmann were guilty of missing two notable opportunities.
However, the draw is likely enough to secure France’s progression into the knockout stages. Les Bleus will have the chance to win the group when they play Poland on Tuesday.
The final group stage game will be another opportunity for Mbappé to make his return; the 25-year-old had trained earlier this week, donning a French-inspired tricolore mask.
However, Mbappé is not allowed to wear the multicolored mask during a Euro 2024 match as UEFA’s rules stipulate that “medical equipment worn on the field of play must be a single colour and free of team and manufacturer identification.”
Ukraine, playing in its first major tournament since the war began in 2022, produced a stirring performance at Euro 2024 on Friday, securing a comeback 2-1 win against Slovakia in Group E.
Goals from Mykola Shaparenko and Roman Yaremchuk rescued what would have been a devastating result for the Blue and Yellow – a loss would have put the nation on the brink of elimination from the tournament.
Ukraine suffered a chastening defeat in its opening group game on Monday, producing a dour display in a 3-0 defeat against Romania.
Its performance was far better against Slovakia, but the team was still second-best for much of the first half, falling behind in the 17th minute after Ivan Schranz’s header.
But Ukraine looked rejuvenated after the break and came out for the second half with a new sense of belief. Shaparenko kept his calm to finish off a well-worked move in the 54th minute, before Yaremchuk poked home the winner with 10 minutes left to go.
Coming into the tournament, Ukraine’s manager Serhiy Rebrov told CNN Sport that he wanted his team to lift the spirits of Ukrainians around the world during Euro 2024.
