Euro 2024: ‘Masked’ Kylian Mbappe Bags Brace in Practice Match Ahead of France vs Poland Tie

• France captain, Kylian Mbappe, shone brightly in a practice match while wearing his protective mask
• The new Real Madrid signing was on fire for Les Bleus in their behind-closed-doors friendly on Saturday
• He is likely to feature in his side's third and final Group D match against Poland at Signal Iduna Park

Kylian Mbappe announced his readiness for France's third and final group game against Poland at Euro 2024, scoring a brace in a practice match.

The 25-year-old missed Les Bleus' disappointing goalless draw with the Netherlands while recovering from a broken nose sustained in their opening match against Austria.

Despite France's attacking depth, Didier Deschamps' charges struggled without Mbappe, appearing lacklustre and fortunate to escape with a point after Xavi Simons' goal was controversially disallowed for offside, Eurosport reports.

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With four points from two matches, France aims to secure their spot in the knockout stages with a victory over Poland, who have already been eliminated after two losses.

How Mbappe performed in practice match wearing a mask

In preparation for the crucial match, Deschamps arranged a behind-closed-doors friendly where Kylian, wearing a protective mask, lasted the entire duration of the game against the under-21 side of German club Paderborn.

According to the BBC, the new Real Madrid signing shone brightly, scoring twice and providing two assists.

Mbappe, along with other unused teammates from the Netherlands game, participated in the practice match consisting of two 30-minute halves.

Will Mbappe play against Poland?

After sitting out France's draw with the Oranje, the former Paris Saint-Germain forward is most likely set to feature in their final group game against Poland on Tuesday, June 25.

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He would hope to carry his impressive form from the behind-closed-doors friendly into the clash with the eliminated Poles, seeking his first goal at the European championships.

Why Mbappe was unused against the Netherlands

In an earlier publication, Sports Brief revealed that France coach Didier Deschamps decided it was safer to keep Kylian Mbappe on the bench against the Netherlands.

Although Mbappe trained all week and was declared fit, Deschamps chose to keep his captain out of the game, which ended in a draw with the Oranje.

Deschamps explained that he couldn't risk his star player since the match wasn't a crucial group decider.