Mbappe played the entire 90 minutes in the goalless draw between France and Portugal, which led to extra time. He continued playing in the first half of extra time but did not return for the final 15 minutes, as Bradley Barcola replaced him.
Since he did not participate in the penalty shootout, Mbappe explained to reporters: “At the end of normal time, we’d already spoken to the coach. We decided to give it a go, but at half-time [of extra time], I told him I wasn’t feeling it any more, that I was too tired. I think you have to get over that. When you’re captain, you have to above all always stay involved and be there for your team-mates. I’ve always said before competitions that whatever happens, the important thing is that we win. People thought it was a joke, but here we are. I only scored one goal, but we’re in the semi-finals and I’m still very happy.”
Despite his absence, France won the penalty shootout against Portugal, with all five French players, including Barcola, scoring their penalties. Joao Felix missed his for Portugal. The new Real Madrid signing, Mbappe, supported his team from the sidelines and shared his experience.
“It’s even worse when you don’t shoot,” he said. “You’re far from the goal, so of course I prefer to go there, but the guys shot really well. In fact, I now understand the people who are outside and who are experiencing this. It’s as if we were a little bit outside, we’re super far away. We don’t even hear the whistle because there’s shouting. It’s crazy!”
Mbappe will return to the starting lineup when Didier Deschamps’ team faces Spain in the semi-finals on July 9. Spain secured their spot by beating Germany 2-1 after extra time.
Kylian Mbappé
Kylian Mbappé Lottin
FranceParis Saint Germain performance and stats
