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Kylian Mbappe showed no signs of injury as he guided his French team to a 2-1 win against Brazil in Boston. The Frenchman has been nursing a knee injury, but looked fit before being taken off in the 60th minute.
Mbappe played for Real Madrid as a substitute in the final two games after missing nearly a month due to a left knee strain. Mbappe was started by France coach Didier Deschamps, but he was only allowed to play for around an hour before being replaced in the 65th minute.
Mbappe, the 2022 Golden Boot winner and 2018 World Cup champion, hurt his left knee in December but continued to play until January before missing nearly a month. On Monday, he declared that his injuries were behind him.
Mbappe looked fit as he raced onto a ball from Ousmane Dembele in the 32nd minute to give France a lead. Mbappe tapped it ahead once before calmly chipping it over the keeper.
France took a 2-0 lead in the 65th minute when Ekitike, Liverpool`s top scorer this season, converted a pass from Michael Olise in the penalty area. Mbappe left for a substitute immediately afterwards.
Brazil reduced the deficit to 2-1 when Bremer rerouted a cross from Luiz Henrique past France keeper Mike Maignan after Dayot Upamecano of France was sent off in the 55th minute for taking down a player who was through on goal. The card was upgraded from yellow to red following a video review.
Even though the temperature in early spring New England was in the mid-60s Fahrenheit (15 Celsius), the game also included a mid-half “cooling break” that allowed players to rest and hydrate. FIFA declared that all games in the 2026 World Cup would feature the break, regardless of the temperature on the field, following a heat wave during the Club World Cup last year.
Brazil and France to play more friendlies before the World Cup
Brazil will play Croatia on Tuesday in Orlando, Florida, their first matchup since the 2022 World Cup quarterfinals. France will play Colombia in Landover, Maryland, on Sunday.
“There are no friendlies for us. Every game is a big game, and we have to play it as if it were a World Cup final,” defender Leo Pereira said.
(With AP input)
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