Real star Kylian Mbappe suffers tendon injury after France's opener
In the Turkish stadium in Istanbul, where the night air was illuminated by the flames of the stands, Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe scored the opening goal for France in the Nations League duel in the 54th minute, before immediately limping off with a tendon injury to his knee.
Following the build‑up by Bayern star Michael Olise, in the 54th minute a powerful finish from Kylian Mbappe brought the 1‑0 for Les Bleus. The strike marked the opening goal in the away win against Turkey. On the sidelines the new national coach Zinedine Zidane celebrated his debut. The Real Madrid striker is Kylian Mbappe, a star of the French national team.
The goal ultimately proved enough for the narrow away victory that gave Les Bleus their first win in the Nations League group. With that, France solidified its position in the competition, although the match was shadowed by the injury.
Immediately after the goal Mbappe limped slightly, grabbed his knee and was attended to by the medical staff. The doctor noted a pained expression that indicated the knee injury.
In the 59th minute the 27‑year‑old striker was replaced by Desire Doue and left the field frustrated. The substitution came only five minutes after his return.
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Zidane said after the match that Mbappe had hyperextended his knee and that the injury did not look good. He added that Mbappe would return to Madrid after treatment.
Implications for the Nations League
The French federation TFF confirmed the diagnosis of a tendon injury and announced that Mbappe will miss the upcoming Nations League matches against Belgium on Monday, Italy next Friday, and Belgium again on October 5. As a result, he is leaving the Tricolores' camp early. The diagnosis was released shortly after the match. The announcement came from the French football federation TFF.
Rayan Cherki, who played on the wing for France in the match, was more optimistic. He said that there had initially been concern, but the problem was not serious and Mbappe would return stronger.
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Reactions at Real Madrid
On the pitch Real teammate Arda Güler asked about the diagnosis, highlighting the concern for the star at Madrid. In the current 2026/27 season Mbappe has already scored eight goals and provided two assists in eight appearances, a strong output for the French striker. This gives him a scoring rate of one goal per game, underscoring his importance to the team. His form emphasizes his value for Real, which has already been underperforming this season.
The absence of the star striker also poses a problem for José Mourinho, the coach of Real Madrid. Mourinho now has to look for alternatives to replace the attacking firepower.