Kylian Mbappe taunts Belgium star who accused him of diving after France’s winning goal in Euro 2024 Round of 16 match
French superstar Kylian Mbappe taunted Belgium's Jan Vertonghen after the centre-back scored an own goal, which sent Les Bleus to the quarterfinals as they secured a 1-0 win. The 37-year-old Anderlecht defender had earlier accused Mbappe of diving in their EURO 2024 Round of 16 clash.
With 85 minutes on the clock and the EURO 2024 clash seemingly destined for extra time, Jan Vertonghen inadvertently put France 1-0 ahead. A shot from Randal Kolo Muani ricocheted off the 37-year-old, completely blindsiding goalkeeper Koen Casteels before entering the net.
In the ensuing celebrations, Kylian Mbappe reacted by running to Vertonghen first, before going off to celebrate the winning goal with his teammates. It wasn't an isolated incident though, as both players had clashed earlier in the game, with the 37-year-old defender accusing Mbappe of diving.
It was another underwhelming performance by France, who are yet to score in open play in the ongoing European Championships. Two of the three goals scored by France have been own-goals by opposition players, while the third was a Kylian Mbappe penalty.
Les Bleus will face either Portugal or Slovenia in the quarterfinals.
"It's really complicated because it limits vision" - Kylian Mbappe on having to use a mask during EURO 2024
Kylian Mbappe provided the cross that led to France's only goal against Austria in their first group stage game in EURO 2024. In the second half of the same game, the Real Madrid forward broke his nose during a collision with Austrian defender Kevin Danso.
To continue his participation in the tournament without undergoing surgery, France have opted to fit the forward with a mask, which he wore against Poland and Belgium. However, Mbappe has not enjoyed wearing it, as he claimed in the press conference ahead of the match against Belgium (via 90min):
"I didn't expect it, but playing with a mask is absolute horror... It's really complicated because it limits vision, the sweat remains blocked so you have to remove it for it to flow... As soon as I can take it off, I'm going to take it off. Now I have no choice, I'm not going to play without it. It's annoying."
Les Bleus will need their talisman to step up in the latter stages of the competition if they are to challenge for the title.