Kylian Mbappe expects better from France after ‘warning’ served ahead of Euros

France were beaten 2-0 by Germany in a set-back ahead of this summer’s tournament

Kylian Mbappe has urged France to improve ahead of Euro 2024 (Getty Images)

France’s 2-0 defeat by Germany was a warning ahead of Euro 2024 and they must show a reaction in Tuesday’s friendly against Chile, forward Kylian Mbappe said.

Florian Wirtz scored after seven seconds for Germany before they doubled their lead early in the second half through Kai Havertz to earn victory in Lyon on Saturday.

“We have to realise that if we play like this in the matches that lie ahead, we could be in for a big disappointment, and we don’t want that to happen to us,” Mbappe told reporters on Monday.

Asked if the defeat had tempered France’s ambitions ahead of the Euros, Mbappe said: “If we’d won 5-0 against Germany, I wasn’t going to say to myself that we were going to win the Euros very easily.

“So, by losing, I’m not telling myself that we’re going to be overtaken.

“It’s a warning. Of course, it wasn’t a good match. Now, we’re not going to throw away everything we’ve done and the qualifying campaign we did, the last competition we played, all the matches we managed to win.”

France host Chile at the Stade Velodrome and Paris Saint-Germain forward Mbappe said he expected some hostility from Marseille fans while playing for the national team.

“If I’m booed, that’s life. I won’t take it personally and it won’t change the way I play,” he added. “But if I’m not booed, I’ll be pleasantly surprised.”

Reuters