Real Madrid star dismisses injury concerns after scare vs Morocco: ‘Took a hit to the ankle, but…’

Real Madrid star dismisses injury concerns after scare vs Morocco: ‘Took a hit to the ankle, but…’ The first semifinalists of the FIFA World Cup are France, and they did it in some style against Morocco last night at Foxborough. Kylian Mbappe  and Ousmane Dembele scored the goals for France on the night, keeping their team’s run of form going. For large parts of the game,  Les Bleus  even dominated to an extent where the matchup looked unfair. One concerning development on the night, however, was when Mbappe went down in pain, seemingly with a serious injury, and was taken off in the 77th minute to be replaced by Jean-Philippe Mateta. After all, he has been the team’s best player and his injury was a worry not only for France but also for Real Madrid. Mbappe calms injury fears Speaking to the media via  L’Equipe  after France’s important quarterfinal win, the Real Madrid forward was asked about the injury for which he was taken off the field and whether it was a concerning development for his future in the tournament. Mbappe’s injury is not serious. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images) The player, however, revealed that the hit was not as serious as it appeared and that his substitution was more precautionary than reactionary. “I’m fine! I took a hit to the ankle, but everything’s okay,”  he began. “Mateta was more ready than I to play the last 15 minutes,”  he added. The player also briefly opened up on the penalty he missed and how it happened, especially given his impressive record in spot-kicks. “I shot the penalty badly, but it was tricky , there was confusion. The referee tells me it’s a penalty, so I got prepared. Then, he comes and tells me it may not be a penalty.” “I lost my focus, I’ve never been in a situation like this before,”  he added. Finally, he was asked if the current squad was the best France team he has ever played with, to which he said, “Is this the strongest French team I’ve played with? It’s not the strongest, but it’s the one with the most potential. I’ve always said that the best teams are the ones that win.” Two wins away Mbappe’s France got the better of Brahim Diaz’s Morocco. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images) Having entered the semifinals for the third time in as many straight World Cup campaigns, France is now two games away from ultimate glory. Their path thus far was relatively simple with them being overwhelming favourites at every stage. Now, however, they will have two relatively more difficult games to get past to be crowned champions. In the semifinals, France will meet either Spain or Belgium. The former are better placed to make it through and will be a tough challenge for Mbappe’s side given recent results. Should they make it to the finals, one of England or Argentina are likely to face them for the title, and there is a good chance they could play a re-match of the 2022 final that they lost.