Mbappe's ankle 'hurts a bit' after knock in France's win over Sweden

Solna (Sweden), September 6: Kylian Mbappe was experiencing pain in his right ankle following France's 1-0 win over Sweden on Saturday (September 5) but the star forward does not believe it is serious.

Mbappe scored with Les Bleus' only shot on target in their Nations League Group A3 opener, however, the Paris Saint-Germain sensation went off in the 77th minute after a blow to his foot.

The 21-year-old suffered an ankle injury in PSG's Coupe de France final triumph against Saint-Etienne on July 24 and only just recovered in time for the resumption of their Champions League campaign three weeks later.

France are due to face Croatia in Paris on Tuesday and Mbappe is confident he will be fit enough to play a part.

"It hurts a bit. I took a knock, but it will get better and better so it's fine," Mbappe told M6.

"We will recover well to be better against Croatia. We are going to work. It's the coach who will decide if I play."

📸 #SWEFRA #FiersdetreBleus pic.twitter.com/0qZmTgiulO

— French Team ⭐⭐ (@FrenchTeam) September 5, 2020

France were unconvincing in their victory at the Friends Arena, with the 3-4-3 utilised by Didier Deschamps failing to bring the rewards expected from an attack boasting Mbappe, Olivier Giroud and Antoine Griezmann.

Sweden pushed for a late equaliser but left themselves short at the back and Anthony Martial – who replaced Mbappe – won a stoppage-time penalty that Griezmann blasted off target.

Mbappe acknowledged there were only fleeting moments to be positive about for the world champions.

"It was a complicated match. We fought well. It wasn't easy, we had a few sequences to remember," he said.

"We have seen that in the future it could be better. We will try to make this system work. It's a new system, but the most important thing is the victory. We have started the group stage well."