Mbappe scores but injures knee as Zidane wins on France debut in Izmit
Kylian Mbappe scored the only goal and then left the field with a knee problem as France defeated Turkey 1-0 in the UEFA Nations League at the Kocaeli Stadium in Izmit on Friday, September 25, 2026, in Zinedine Zidane’s first match as France coach.
Zidane shifted Mbappe to the left wing after the forward had been used through the centre under Didier Deschamps at the recent World Cup, where Mbappe finished as top scorer with 10 goals; from that left position Mbappe netted his 67th international goal after receiving a pass from Michael Olise. The France captain grimaced as teammates celebrated, attempted to continue after treatment, then prodded the outside of his left knee and was replaced by Desire Doue.
Zidane’s appointment in late July on a deal to 2030 and his return to elite coaching after leaving Real Madrid in 2021 framed the match as his first in charge of the national side; the France legend and 1998 World Cup winner described the night as emotional and encouraging. "It was a really emotional night, but it was a successful debut in difficult surroundings. I think we played rather well. I saw a lot of interesting things, considering we have only had three and a half training sessions together. It's quite encouraging," he said.
On Mbappe’s injury, Zidane told broadcaster TF1: "It's not great. Unfortunately, I think he's going to have to go home. We don't want to take any risks," adding, "He overextended his knee while shooting. It's not very encouraging." France and Mbappe’s club will now await assessment of the problem, with Les Bleus scheduled to play three more games over the next 10 days before the club season resumes.
Match action saw Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise test Turkey goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir with a strike late in the first half that was tipped over, while France goalkeeper Mike Maignan pushed over an early second-half attempt by Abdulkerim Bardakci. Jules Kounde rattled the post during the visitors’ search for a second goal.
Turkey were reduced to 10 men late after Cakir came off his line to stop substitute Bradley Barcola in a one-on-one; German referee Felix Zwayer initially waved play on but, following a VAR review, ruled the goalkeeper had handled the ball and issued a red card. Turkey are coached by Vincenzo Montella and will host Italy on Monday.
France are competing in Group A1 of the Nations League and will travel to Brussels to face Belgium on Monday; Belgium beat Italy 2-0 away on Friday. Zidane will make his home coaching debut against Italy at the Stade de France next Friday.
