The French national team concluded their series of friendlies ahead of EURO 2024 with a draw against Canada. In this match, Kylian Mbappe came off the bench and didn’t leave much of an impression.

The support of French fans for Kylian Mbappe is particularly special. When Les Bleus took to the field for warm-ups, Mbappe was one of the first to appear and received enthusiastic cheers from the crowd.

However, when the Real Madrid forward sat on the bench, the fervent atmosphere diminished. Olivier Giroud led the French team onto the field, but the fans in Bordeaux no longer chanted the players’ names.

Since Bordeaux was relegated and no longer plays in Ligue 1, the football atmosphere in the city has noticeably cooled. Fans came to Matmut Atlantique Stadium to see Mbappe, but ultimately, Didier Deschamps left the brightest star of the team on the bench, which was a significant disappointment.

Facing a Canada team that had just suffered a 0-4 defeat against the Netherlands, France failed to score at home. In fact, in the first half, Canada had more possession and created more dangerous scoring opportunities. It wasn’t until the beginning of the second half that Les Bleus regained control of the game. However, their efforts failed to find the back of the net.

Mbappe spent much of the match on the bench due to a knee injury that had recently healed. It wasn’t until the 74th minute that Deschamps brought the Real Madrid newcomer onto the field. This moment left French fans wondering if their national team was overly reliant on the 25-year-old star.

Before the match against Canada, there were reports that Mbappe might miss France’s opening match at EURO 2024 against Austria. However, Deschamps quickly reassured the public.

“Mbappe suffered a significant impact in the win against Luxembourg. His knee was bruised. Today, his condition has improved somewhat. In the 15 minutes on the field, Mbappe’s performance was relatively good. It’s undeniable that with Mbappe on the field, the French team is very different. However, we also need to give opportunities to other stars,” Deschamps said.

Looking back at the 90 minutes against Canada, it’s clear that France will struggle to dominate if they rely solely on the attacking trio of Marcus Thuram, Olivier Giroud, and Ousmane Dembele. The breakthroughs from these three stars are insufficient, especially when Aurelien Tchouameni, N’Golo Kante, and Eduardo Camavinga in midfield are not at their best.

A friendly match may not reveal much, but France’s opponents at EURO 2024, starting with the group stage, can learn from Canada’s challenge to Les Bleus. In fact, the best player for the French team in this match was William Saliba.

Mbappe is irreplaceable for the French team, which is true, but it would be a cruel blow if, for some reason, such as injury, the 25-year-old forward couldn’t play for the next month. Or if, in crucial matches, Mbappe couldn’t take the field or couldn’t play, does Deschamps have any other options?

“Tonight, we encountered a significant obstacle, much more difficult than the match against Luxembourg. This is a warning for the entire team before the opening match at EURO 2024 against Austria.

Today was not a good day for the French team, but if you look at the bigger picture, many other big teams at EURO 2024 also faced challenges in their friendly matches before the tournament,” Deschamps shared.