France wins 1-0 against Turkey as Mbappe scores

Kylian Mbappe scored the only goal of the match before leaving the field in pain with a knee injury as France beat Turkey 1-0 in the UEFA Nations League. This was the first game in charge for new coach Zinedine Zidane on Friday.

Zidane moved Mbappe to the left wing, changing his position from the middle where he played under former coach Didier Deschamps at the recent World Cup. Mbappe finished the World Cup as the top scorer with 10 goals.

From the left wing, Mbappe, who is France’s all-time top scorer, netted his 67th international goal. He controlled the ball and shot low at the near post after a pass from Michael Olise.

Mbappe winced in pain as his teammates celebrated the goal at Kocaeli Stadium in Izmit, about 100 kilometers from Istanbul. After some treatment, he tried to continue playing but eventually fell to the ground, looking worried as he touched his left knee. He then walked off and was replaced by Desire Doue.

France and Real Madrid will now wait to see how serious the injury is. Les Bleus have three more matches in the next 10 days before the club season starts again.

Zidane’s first match as coach was overshadowed by the sight of his star player leaving the pitch. Zidane was appointed in late July on a contract that runs until 2030.

The France legend and 1998 World Cup winner returns to top coaching for the first time since leaving Real Madrid in 2021. France lost to Spain in the semi-finals of the World Cup.

In this Nations League edition, France is in Group A1 and will face Belgium in Brussels on Monday. Belgium won 2-0 against Italy on Friday.

Zidane's first team selection was mostly similar to the World Cup squad, with Bournemouth’s Adrien Truffert starting at left-back and Manchester City’s Rayan Cherki coming into the starting lineup.

Olise, who shone at the World Cup, almost scored just before halftime. His excellent shot was saved by Turkey’s goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir.

France's goalkeeper Mike Maignan also made a save at the start of the second half, tipping over a shot from Turkey’s Abdulkerim Bardakci. Turkey finished bottom of their group at the World Cup despite a 3-2 win over co-hosts the United States.

Mbappe’s goal came shortly after Maignan’s save. France later saw Jules Kounde hit the post before Turkey went down to 10 men at the end of the match.

Cakir rushed out of his area to stop Bradley Barcola as the France substitute ran toward goal. Referee Felix Zwayer initially let play continue but later reviewed the situation with VAR. He decided Cakir had handled the ball, resulting in a red card for the goalkeeper.

Turkey, led by former Italian star Vincenzo Montella, will host Italy next on Monday.