France manager Deschamps defends Kylian Mbappe over the penalty miss against Swiss

France manager Didier Deschamps defends Kylian Mbappe over the penalty miss against Switzerland. The miss eliminated France from Euro 2020.

Kylian Mbappe of France against Switzerland
Kylian Mbappe of France against Switzerland

Kylian Mbappe missed a penalty in the shootout against Switzerland as France suffered a shock defeat.

World Cup champions France suffered a shock defeat against Switzerland in the Round of 16, which put an end to their Euro 2020 hopes.

Kylian Mbappe has been scrutinised for his performance as he failed to score the decisive penalty in the shootout, and he eventually left the field with heads down.

However, Les Bleus manager Didier Deschamps defended the PSG ace for his debacle, saying that the onus falls on everyone and no players are angry with him.

Deschamps said: “The whole group is united in the dressing room.

“No-one talks about ‘you made this mistake’ or ‘you made that mistake.’ Kylian knows his responsibility.

“Of course, Kylian, even if he didn’t score a goal, he was decisive in many actions that we had, then he took the responsibility to take this penalty, and no-one is really angry with him. He is obviously very affected by it.”

Mbappe, who cut a disappointed figure after the penalty miss, released a statement, which read: 

“It is very difficult to turn the page. I am sorry for this penalty. I wanted to help the team, but I failed. Finding sleep will be difficult, but unfortunately, those are the risks of the sport that I love so much.

“I know that you, the fans, are disappointed, but I would still like to thank you for your support and always believing in us. The most important thing is to come back even stronger next time. Congratulations and good luck to the Swiss.”

The 22-year-old has, in fact, looked off-colour in the European Championship, failing to score a goal. 

Les Bleus were deemed as the favourites of this year’s Euros, given their squad strength and the superstars at their disposal. Despite coming out on top from Group F – which contained the likes of Germany and Portugal, the World Cup champions bit the dust against Swiss.