France star Kylian Mbappe revealed the reason for his substitution in extra time of the Portugal match in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals.
It was rumored that the Real Madrid star suffered from pain from a fractured tendon, which was the reason for coach Didier Deschamps to take him off and introduce Barcola in the second extra period.
Mbappe spoke to the media after the match and said, “After normal time ended, I spoke with the coach and we agreed that I would try to stay on the field.”
He also added, “At the end of the first extra period, I told Deschamps that I no longer felt like myself and was suffering from extreme fatigue, so he replaced me.”
Although Mbappé was happy with the qualification, he asked himself and the French players not to repeat the bad performance that the Roosters showed in the match against Portugal again.
The 25-year-old said, “It is true that we are very happy to qualify, but it will be difficult for us to appear again at this level.”
He concluded, “We will discuss the matter in the locker room and analyze our level to search for scoring solutions while maintaining scoring consistency.”
It is noteworthy that France only scored 3 goals, 2 of which were own goals (by the opposing team players) and one goal from a penalty kick by Mbappe.