Mbappe suffers ankle injury in French Cup final; Neymar scores only goal as PSG beat St Etienne at Stade de France
Saturday 25 July 2020 13:50, UK
Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe had to be substituted after suffering an ankle injury following a horror tackle in the first half of the French Cup final.
The club have confirmed that Mbappe has sprained his right ankle, but have offered no hints as to whether he will be fit for their Champions League quarter-final against Atalanta next month.
He was scythed down by St Etienne captain Loic Perrin in the 26th minute, with the challenge sparking a mass brawl before the defender was sent off.
PSG went on to win 1-0 thanks to Neymar's 14th-minute goal as football returned in the country after a four-month hiatus due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Mbappe was pictured limping through the stadium on crutches during the second half, leaving his participation in PSG's hectic upcoming schedule in doubt.
"I don't know what to say, it's the third game in a row against St Etienne and it's the third red card, the third time in the first 30 minutes," said PSG head coach Thomas Tuchel.
"Is it because they're tired or something? Okay, if we play a final, if we play a match like that I'm very surprised and it's not good news for us, not at all.
"I'm very happy of course that we won but now we have to stay calm and wait for the news (on Mbappe's injury)."
PSG would have been counting on the 21-year-old World Cup winner to play a key role as they seek to complete a quadruple of titles following their Ligue 1 and French Cup triumphs.
Along with their Champions League quarter-final against Atalanta, PSG face Lyon in the League Cup final next month.
Mbappe, who joined PSG from Monaco in 2017 for £166m, has scored 30 goals in 33 appearances for the club this season.
