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Julian Lorenz, reporter
France captain Kylian Mbappe He returned to the field on Saturday, playing sixty minutes in a match behind closed doors after breaking his nose against Austria on Monday.
Mbappe and his teammates who did not start in the goalless draw against the Netherlands on Friday played two 30-minute halves in mixed teams with Paderborn’s under-21 players.
The 25-year-old was in the squad wearing white jerseys, on the left wing alongside him Olivier Giroud. A source told ESPN that he scored two goals and provided two assists in his team’s victory.
The same source said that before the match, Paderborn’s young players were told not to be too aggressive in duels and contacts.
Mbappé was wearing the black mask that he will have to wear when he plays again in this European tournament.
Participating in this game has always been part of the comeback process. He needed to get used to the mask and seemed a little bothered by it at first but quickly adapted.
The match was also good for his fitness after not training much since Monday. Mbappe knew before kick-off on Friday that he would not play at all against the Netherlands, regardless of the match scenario.
“It would have been wise for him to stay on the bench,” Didier Deschamps said after the equalizer.
However, it is too early to say that Mbappe will start against Poland on Tuesday in Dortmund in an important encounter for France hoping to top the group. Deschamps is likely to make a last-minute decision about the new Real Madrid star who wants to play against the Poles just as he wanted to play against the Dutch.
There are only two training sessions left before Tuesday. A lighter game on Sunday and a more competitive one on Monday at Signal Iduna Park.
