Kylian Mbappe scored the only goal of the game as France won 1-0 against Turkiye in the UEFA Nations League on Friday. The match marked the debut of new coach Zinedine Zidane. Mbappe, who was positioned on the left wing, scored his 67th international goal after receiving a pass from Michael Olise and firing a low shot into the net. However, he was forced to leave the match due to a knee injury, which he sustained shortly after scoring. Despite receiving treatment, Mbappe was unable to continue and was replaced by Desire Doue.
France will now await further information regarding the extent of Mbappe's injury, as they have three more matches scheduled in the next 10 days. Zidane's first match as coach was overshadowed by the injury to his star player. Zidane, a 1998 World Cup winner, returned to coaching after his second stint with Real Madrid ended in 2021. France, who reached the semifinals of the recent World Cup, is in Group A1 of this Nations League edition and will face Belgium next. Belgium won their match against Italy 2-0 on the same day.
Zidane's initial team selection included some changes from the World Cup squad, with Adrien Truffert starting at left-back and Rayan Cherki in the lineup. Olise had a chance to score earlier in the match, but his shot was saved by Turkiye's goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir. France's goalkeeper Mike Maignan also made a crucial save in the second half. The match saw Turkiye reduced to 10 men when Cakir received a red card for handling the ball outside his area after a VAR review. Turkiye, who finished last in their World Cup group, will host Italy next.