France

Zinedine Zidane marked his first match as France coach with a 1-0 UEFA Nations League victory over Turkey on Friday, but the win was overshadowed by an injury to captain Kylian Mbappe.

Mbappe scored the only goal nine minutes into the second half in the Group A1 clash in Izmit, Turkey, but hurt his knee while taking the shot. The Real Madrid forward briefly tried to continue before being substituted.

France coach Zidane said the injury appeared serious enough to rule Mbappe out of the team’s remaining Nations League matches over the next 10 days.

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“He overextended his knee while shooting. It’s not very encouraging,” Zidane told TF1, adding that the team would not take any risks with their captain.

Turkey ended the match with 10 men after goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir was sent off late for handling the ball outside his penalty area while attempting to stop Bradley Barcola.

France will next face Belgium in Brussels on Monday.

Belgium, meanwhile, spoiled Roberto Mancini’s return as Italy coach with a 2-0 victory in Rome. Mika Godts gave the visitors the lead in the 20th minute before substitute Dodi Lukebakio sealed the win with a long-range strike after the break.

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Mancini, who returned to lead Italy after previously managing the team from 2018 to 2023 and guiding them to the Euro 2020 title, urged supporters to focus on the future despite the defeat.

Elsewhere, Shea Charles scored deep into stoppage time as Northern Ireland beat Georgia 1-0 after Khvicha Kvaratskhelia missed a penalty for the hosts.

Ukraine edged Hungary 1-0 despite finishing with 10 men following Oleksandr Nazarenko’s late dismissal.

Poland, captained by Robert Lewandowski, played out a goalless draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina, while Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres scored in Sweden’s 2-1 victory over Romania.

Armenia and Montenegro also recorded wins in League C, while the Nations League continues on Saturday with England hosting world champions Spain.

Segun Ojo
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