Kylian Mbappe will always put the team first and is ready to lead from the front as France prepare to open their Euro 2024 campaign against Austria, says Didier Deschamps.
Having scored 44 goals in his final season with Paris Saint-Germain before sealing his long-awaited move to Real Madrid, Mbappe will captain his country at a first major tournament, following Hugo Lloris' international retirement.
Les Bleus are among the favourites but the same was true when they crashed out in the last 16 at Euro 2020, losing to Switzerland in a penalty shoot-out.
Mbappe failed to score at that tournament, but his coach is certain he is in top condition ahead of Monday's game in Dusseldorf.
"He is always at the centre of things. That won't change," Deschamps told The Athletic of Mbappe.
"He will not do anything that goes against the collective interest. It won't be any problem. He is in very good shape, very happy, and concentrated on working hard.
"The most important thing is that he has the greatest possible freedom. My objective is to put him in the best conditions, and put the team in the best conditions, so that he can be as effective as possible."
Asked about Mbappe's leadership qualities, Deschamps continued: "He speaks but he is not there to be overbearing.
"If you are not with him, you don’t see how he is with his partners on a daily basis. He has always been part of a collective project, even if he is an extraordinary player who is able to make a difference on his own."
Opponents Austria have been touted by some as a potential surprise package after impressing in their first qualification campaign under Ralf Rangnick, finishing just one point behind Belgium.
"If we're complete, then we're a team that is very hard to beat," the former Manchester United boss said. "We're able to compete with anyone at a high level.
"We saw that during friendlies against Germany and Italy [both 2-0 wins], but also during the qualifiers against Sweden [2-0 and 3-1 victories].
"We're not going to the Euros just to participate. We have faith in ourselves and believe we can qualify for the next round."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Austria – Marcel Sabitzer
Sabitzer was involved in six goals in seven appearances during Euro 2024 qualifying (four goals, two assists), the most of any Austria player.
The Borussia Dortmund man also created the most big chances (four) and accumulated the highest expected assists figure (1.6 xA) of any Austrian.
France – Kylian Mbappe
Across the last three major international tournaments (2018 World Cup, Euro 2020 and 2022 World Cup), Mbappe has scored 12 goals. Harry Kane is the only European player to match that tally.
However, all of those goals have come at World Cups. He failed to convert any of his 14 shots at Euro 2020 and also missed the decisive spot-kick as France lost to Switzerland on penalties. He will be desperate to atone at this tournament, starting on Monday.
MATCH PREDICTION – FRANCE WIN
France enter Euro 2024 as one of the favourites, with the Opta supercomputer giving them a 19.1 per cent chance of lifting the trophy before the tournament began. They are expected to live up to that billing here.
Les Bleus have reached the final at three of their last four major tournaments, being losing finalists at Euro 2016 and the 2022 World Cup and winning the 2018 World Cup.
They plundered 29 goals in their eight qualifiers, with 14 different players getting on the scoresheet for them (excluding own goals) – the largest spread of any nation.
With the likes of Ousmane Dembele, Olivier Giroud and Antoine Griezmann – who has 18 goal contributions at major tournaments since the start of Euro 2016 (11 goals, seven assists) – supporting Mbappe, they should have too much for Austria.
Austria have only won one of their last 10 matches against France in all competitions (two draws, seven defeats), triumphing 3-1 in a 2010 World Cup qualifier in September 2008.
The teams have, however, managed one win apiece from their two previous tournament meetings. Austria claimed a 3-2 victory at the 1934 World Cup, and France won 1-0 at the 1982 competition.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Austria – 15.5%
France – 65.8%
Draw – 18.7%
Euro 2024 social round-up: Yaremchuk's tears of joy, Mbappe's new look
We are now a full week into Euro 2024, and the tournament continues to serve up plenty of entertainment – sometimes in the places fans least expect.
While there was nothing to separate the Netherlands and France in a dour goalless draw on Friday, Austria put on a show in Group D's other match, eliminating Poland with a 3-1 win.
Earlier on, there were emotional scenes as Ukraine claimed their first major tournament win since Euro 2020, fighting back to beat Slovakia 2-1 in Group C.
There was also plenty more happening away from the pitch, and we run through the best of the day's content here, in our social media round-up.
Tears of joy for Ukraine
Ukraine's first game at the tournament fell flat as they were thrashed 3-0 by Romania, and they were staring at an early exit when they went 1-0 down to Slovakia on Friday.
However, second-half goals from Mykola Shaparenko and Roman Yaremchuk turned the game on its head, throwing up the prospect of all four Group E teams entering the final matchday on three points.
It was an understandably emotional occasion for Ukraine and for winning goalscorer Yaremchuk, who was pictured in tears at the full-time whistle.
Heartbreak for Tierney
From ecstasy to agony. Friday began with the news that Scotland full-back Kieran Tierney would miss the remainder of the tournament with the hamstring injury he sustained against Switzerland earlier this week.
Taking to Instagram, Tierney said he was "heartbroken" after it was confirmed he would return to Arsenal for tests.
Scotland will be hoping to give him something to cheer on Sunday, when a victory over Hungary would likely book a last-16 place.
Leipzig turns Oranje
There is nothing quite like the sight of the Netherlands' fans turning a host city orange, and that is precisely what happened ahead of their meeting with France.
Bouncing in tandem at the team's fan zone, these supporters certainly brought the party to Leipzig.
Some might even have regretted leaving for the Red Bull Arena, after sitting through the tournament's first goalless draw.
The masked crusader
After he suffered a broken nose during France's opening game against Austria, Kylian Mbappe's condition has been a hot topic of debate.
On Thursday, he was seen going through his paces in a tricolour protective mask sure to impress French patriots.
However, with UEFA regulations stipulating that any mask he wears competitively must be all one colour, he unveiled a new, sleek look on Friday.
He did not get off the bench against the Netherlands, but France's masked crusader will be itching to return to the field against Poland on matchday three.
Scenes to savour for Austria
A huge contingent of Austrian fans made the short trip to Berlin to witness another highly impressive display from Ralf Rangnick's team on Friday.
This one was capped with three points, too, as second-half goals from Christoph Baumgartner and Marko Arnautovic handed them a deserved 3-1 win over Poland.
Arnautovic appeared overcome with emotion when he was substituted late on, and he was later seen directing the celebrations as Austria underlined their status as potential dark horses.
Deschamps regrets France's lack of efficiency in goalless draw
Didier Deschamps bemoaned France's lack of a clinical edge as they played out a 0-0 draw with the Netherlands on Friday.
Les Bleus, without talisman Kylian Mbappe due to a broken nose he suffered against Austria in their opener, struggled in front of goal, managing only three shots on target out of their 15.
Xavi Simons thought he had broken the deadlock in the 69th minute, only to have it chalked off due to Denzel Dumfries impeding Mike Maignan from an offside position.
After a wasteful performance in the final third, Deschamps was not willing to speculate if the situation would have been different if Mbappe played.
"The only regret is the efficiency," Deschamps told M6. "It was a match with great intensity, a Dutch team more cautious than usual.
"Compared to the opponent, we had no less 36 hours less recovery. We responded on an athletic level despite everything we did everything we had to do to recover as much as possible but hey..."
"Kylian, it's Kylian, we're not going to compare him to the others.
"[Bradley] Barcola has qualities, that's why he's there, he does good things in training. But he's never been with us. In a match like that, it's never easy to put it at the end to make the difference, but the team was rather well-balanced, we were able to create danger and defend well."
France could have sealed their place in the round of 16 with a win in Leipzig, though they will likely qualify anyway after moving onto four points with this draw.
Antoine Griezmann had the most shots for France (five), including two big chances, and he admitted that the side needed to work on their finishing ahead of their final match against Poland on Tuesday.
"I have two 'opportunities' where it stays in my feet. It's a real shame," Griezmann told beIN Sports.
"That's what we're missing in the two matches, we have to work on it. Defensively, we were good. Tactically, we were good. We're missing that little goal; it's going to happen."
Euro 2024 data dive: Griezmann matches Thuram but goals finally dry up
Friday's action at Euro 2024 was headlined by a heavyweight Group D clash which did not quite live up to its billing, as France and the Netherlands played out a goalless draw.
While France misfired in the absence of Kylian Mbappe, who was an unused substitute after breaking his nose in Les Bleus' opener, it was VAR that frustrated the Dutch as Xavi Simons saw a potential winner chalked off for an offside call against Denzel Dumfries.
Fortunately, there was plenty of entertainment to be had in the day's early games, as Ukraine fought back to beat Slovakia 2-1 and Austria dumped Poland out of the tournament with a 3-1 success in Berlin.
Here, we run through all the best Opta stats to emerge from the day's matches.
Slovakia 1-2 Ukraine: Shaparenko follows in Shevchenko's footsteps
The first game of the day was an emotional one for Ukraine, as they fought back from 1-0 down to clinch a 2-1 victory over Slovakia and blow Group E wide open.
Ivan Schranz's goal had put Slovakia on course for a second win in two games, as he became just the second player to net multiple goals at Euro 2024 after Germany's Jamal Musiala.
He is also just the second Slovakian player to score more than one goal at a major tournament, after Robert Vittek struck four times at the 2010 World Cup.
It was, in many ways, a case of experience versus youth in this match, as 37-year-olds Peter Pekarík and Juraj Kucka both made their 12th major tournament appearances for Slovakia (World Cup/Euros), overtaking Marek Hamsik (11) for the most in the nation's history.
Ukraine, meanwhile, named a starting lineup with an average age of just 25 years and 259 days – the youngest at this year's tournament so far and the first to come in under the 26 mark.
Youthful exuberance won the day as Ukraine came on strong in the second half, Mykola Shaparenko levelling after 54 minutes.
He became the first Dynamo Kyiv player to score at the Euros since the legendary Andriy Shevchenko did so on home soil at the 2012 tournament.
Roman Yaremchuk then came off the bench to decide the contest with a composed touch and finish in the 80th minute, becoming just the second Ukrainian substitute to net at a major tournament, after Artem Dovbyk did so against Sweden at Euro 2020.
It was also Yaremchuk's third major tournament goal, with only Shevchenko (four) boasting more for Ukraine.
Poland 1-3 Austria: Veteran Arnautovic on the spot
Austria won plenty of plaudits for their display against France on matchday one, but it did not translate into points.
That was not the case on Friday, though, as second-half goals from Christoph Baumgartner and Marko Arnautovic downed Poland, who had seen Krzysztof Piatek cancel out Gernot Trauner's early opener.
Trauner's ninth-minute header, his first competitive goal for Austria, made him just the second player to score on his first Euros start for the country, after Stefan Lainer versus North Macedonia three years ago.
It was also the fastest goal Austria have scored at the Euros, and their earliest in any tournament match since they netted twice in the first four minutes versus Czechoslovakia at the 1954 World Cup.
Ralf Rangnick's high-pressing side could not hold their lead until the interval, though, as Piatek levelled, becoming the seventh Poland player to net at the Euros and the fifth to do so on his competition debut, after Robert Lewandowski (2012), Arkadiusz Milik (2016), Karol Linetty (2020) and Adam Buksa (2024).
Lewandowski was later introduced from the bench after missing Poland's opener due to injury, as the striker (35 years, 305 days) became his nation's oldest player to feature at the Euros. That record lasted all of 15 minutes, with fellow substitute Kamil Grosicki coming on at the age of 36 years and 13 days.
A double salvo from Austria would later hand them a deserved victory, with Baumgartner and Arnautovic becoming the first players to net more than once for them at the Euros, having both scored at the 2020 edition.
Arnautovic's goal, a composed finish from the penalty spot after Marcel Sabitzer was fouled by Wojciech Szczesny, made him Austria's second-oldest goalscorer at a major tournament after Ivica Vastic (38 years, 257 days), who also netted a penalty against Poland in 2008.
Netherlands 0-0 France: Long wait for goalless draw over
Poland later became the first team to be officially eliminated from Euro 2024, courtesy of a goalless draw between the Netherlands and France in Leipzig.
Much of the pre-match talk centred on whether Mbappe would play after suffering a broken nose in Les Blues' 1-0 win over Austria on Monday. He had been fitted with a protective mask ahead of kick-off, yet was relegated to the bench, where he stayed throughout.
France struggled in attack without their talisman, with Antoine Griezmann guilty of spurning several good chances.
Griezmann did gain a slice of history, though, as his 32nd major tournament appearance equalled Lilian Thuram's record for the most by any outfield France player.
The Atletico Madrid man has also started each of France's last 11 games at the Euros, with Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo (18) and Germany's Toni Kroos (13) the only outfielders currently on longer such streaks for their nation.
France's failure to find the breakthrough means they have failed to win any of their last seven games when Mbappe has not been in their starting lineup, drawing five and losing two such matches since the start of June 2022.
In fact, it was the Netherlands who went closest to victory as Simons saw a potential winner controversially chalked off in the second half, ensuring we got the first goalless draw of this year's tournament.
In fact, the result ended a run of 50 European Championship games without a 0-0 draw dating back to the group stages at the delayed 2020 tournament, when there was nothing to separate England and Scotland.
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