Ankle injury puts Mbappé out of France vs Iceland clash

PARIS (AP):

FRANCE CAPTAIN Kylian Mbappé will miss his team’s World Cup qualifier against Iceland tomorrow because of a right ankle injury, the French football federation said yesterday.

The Real Madrid star scored in France’s 3-0 victory over Azerbaijan on Friday but limped off the field in the 83rd minute. Just before the international break, he had hurt the same ankle while playing against Villarreal.

France confirmed that their star forward would not make the trip to Reykjavik, and that he would return to Real Madrid.

After Friday’s game, France coach Didier Deschamps had said the injury was not serious and that Mbappé just felt sharp pain after taking a blow to the same ankle.

France, runners-up at the 2022 World Cup, is off to a perfect start in the qualification process for the 2026 edition. They have won all three of their games in Group D.

France defender Ibrahima Konaté was released from the squad yesterday and replaced by Marseille’s Benjamin Pavard.

Konaté had been struggling with a minor thigh injury, picked up while playing for Liverpool against Chelsea last weekend. He did not play against Azerbaijan.

Pavard joined Marseille from Inter Milan in the offseason.