MUNICH: Will Kylian Mbappe finally show up?
Facing a freewheeling Spain side reminiscent if the great tiki-taka days in the Euro 2024 semi-final, Germany need their striker to finally produce a performance worthy of his superstar status at a tournament in which he has struggled to find form and fitness.
He may even be struggling to find his teammates.
Randal Kolo Muani, who played with Mbappe at PSG in the last campaign, has tried on the mask Mbappe has to wear after he suffered a broken nose in the opening match against Austria.
“You really see nothing,” Kolo Muani said. “Nothing.”
Mbappe has clearly been inhibited by the protective mask he has to wear over his injured nose. There is little prospect of him challenging for a header, and he has indicated that his field of vision has also been reduced.
However, Mbappe’s teammates insist they are not worried about their captain’s performances.
“I don’t think he is going through a bad period. He had a great season. If he is not scoring goals we need to help him. The competition is not over. Apart from his little nose, he is fine,” said Kolo Muani.
France need Mbappe at his best. But the man who won the World Cup as a teenager and scored an incredible hattrick in the 2022 final in Qatar, has not been able to play anywhere near his best at the European Championship. — Agencies
