Why Mbappe came off against Portugal – Deschamps; Martinez rues missed penalty

Hamburg (Germany), July 6, 2024

French striker and captain Kylian Mbappe, asked to be substituted during extra-time in the Euro 2024 quarter-final win over Portugal because he was tired, his coach Didier Deschamps said.

The usually prolific Mbappe has not been at his best during the Euros, scoring once from the penalty spot against Poland, but otherwise failing to convert chances and looking uncomfortable in a mask.

This was after he broke his nose in the first game.

Against Portugal in the quarter-finals on Friday night, he spent time on the ground and briefly removed his mask.

This was following a hard hit from the ball on the side of his face, before later asking to be taken off and missing the shootout.

“Yes, he’s always very honest with me and the team, when he feels he doesn’t have the capacity to accelerate…

“He’s not at his top form … he felt very tired indeed,” Deschamps said, referring to muscle fatigue and the nose issue.

“I saw him struggling during the first period of extra time. It was pointless (to leave him on).

“Kylian has always been honest with me and the group, so it was only natural to bring in some new blood.”

In his absence, Mbappe’s teammates did him proud, scoring a perfect five penalties to beat Portugal 5-3.

Meanwhile, Portugal manager Roberto Martinez said there was no blame to cast after Joao Felix missed the penalty that resulted in their exit from the European Championship.

The game also likely brought the curtain down on Cristiano Ronaldo’s international career.

Felix fired his penalty against the post – the only miss of the shootout – and then buried his face in his hands, with France winning 5-3 in Friday’s quarter-final.

This was after a goalless stalemate at the end of extra time.

”I can tell you that the whole squad was supporting each other and only players who never shoot a penalty never miss,” Martinez said.

”Joao has great control of the inside game, he worked hard to be there and this penalty is bad luck.”

The miss from the 24-year-old Atletico Madrid forward gave France the advantage and Theo Hernandez fired past goalkeeper Diogo Costa to send France to the semi-finals.

Costa had been superb in stopping three Slovenia penalties in the last 16.

The loss likely marked the end of Ronaldo’s 21-year international career, as he had said his record sixth Euros tournament would be his last.

The 39-year-old converted Portugal’s first kick in the shootout but was also responsible for squandering perhaps their best chance of the night.

After the final whistle, centre-back Pepe collapsed sobbing into Ronaldo’s arms, the curtain surely also coming down on the 41-year-old defender’s international career.

”Pepe is everything he showed in the tournament, not just during the matches, but the way he works through training sessions, the way he supports his colleagues, his commitment,” Martinez said.

”And his tears are tears of frustration. Because when you play against the better opponents, there’s no tears.

”The tears are there because it’s hard to accept that tonight with our performance, we will drop by the wayside.

”But other than that, Pepe is a role model in Portuguese football and what he did tonight and during the tournament will stay with us, with the next generations.”

Ronaldo has gone nine games without a goal for Portugal and missed a golden opportunity to score during extra time.

This was when Francisco Conceicao broke behind the French defence and cut back a pass to Ronaldo just outside the six-yard box.

However, Ronaldo launched the ball wildly over the crossbar – far from a fairytale ending, if it is indeed the end, of an international career that has brought 212 caps and 130 goals.

Martinez said there were plenty of positives from the game, including the fact that Portugal had 63 per cent possession.

”The individual talent of this team is there for all of us to see.

”They showed great unity and knew how to suffer, always with the desire to win,” he said.

”We lost but we lost with pride, always giving everything in every minute, in true Portuguese style. We won’t stop here. In the future, we will give everything.”