Why was Kylian Mbappe left on the bench for France against the Netherlands?

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France and the Netherlands played to a 0-0 tie, with captain Kylian Mbappe watching from the sidelines in Leipzig. It was the first time in Euro 2024 that neither team scored a goal.

Mbappe suffered a broken nose during France's first match against Austria. The talented forward was only able to sit on the bench for the next game, where Didier Deschamps' team did not perform well in their Group D match.

Mbappe's accident with Austria's Kevin Danso may have jeopardized the France captain's ability to continue in the tournament after he was hospitalized in Dusseldorf. However, a medical scan showed that surgery was not needed, easing concerns about his participation.

The possibility of Mbappe playing against the Netherlands with a mask on was mentioned, as France's coach Didier Deschamps indicated that the chances of him participating in the game were improving.

However, a setback right before the game in Leipzig caused the future Real Madrid player to be removed from France's starting team, and he was replaced by midfielder Aurélien Tchouameni.

Mbappe played a crucial role in France's close victory over Austria, providing the assist that led to an own goal by Maximilian Wober. With 47 goals in 80 games for his national team, he was instrumental in their successful World Cup campaign in 2018.

Les Bleus were not able to score when Antoine Griezmann was not in the game. He had opportunities to score in Leipzig, but was not able to make the breakthrough. The Netherlands had a goal disallowed because of offside.

France will finish their group stage matches against Poland on Tuesday. Even though they drew 0-0 with the Netherlands, they are likely to make it to the round of 16 since they have already earned four points from their first two matches.