エムバペ、マスクは「やりづらい」　鼻骨折でプレーに制限

【デュッセルドルフ（ドイツ）ＡＦＰ＝時事】サッカー欧州選手権のチーム初戦で鼻を骨折したフランスのキリアン・エムバペが３０日、７月１日に行われるベルギーとの決勝トーナメント１回戦を前に、フェースマスクを付けてのプレーは「すごくやりづらい」と認めた。（写真はフランスのキリアン・エムバペ〈右〉）
　エムバペは６月１７日に行われたチーム初戦のオーストリア戦で相手選手と衝突して鼻の骨を折ると、続くオランダ戦は欠場を強いられたが、ポーランド戦で鼻を守るフェースマスクを付けて復帰した。
　ベルギー戦でもマスクを付けてのプレーになるが、エムバペは違和感があるためすでに何種類かを試したと話し、「何かしっくりこない部分が毎回あるから、変えてきている」とコメント。「本当に難しい。視界が狭まるし、汗がたまるから外して汗を流さないといけない」と明かした。
　「外してもよくなったらすぐにでも外すが、今はその選択肢はない。僕にとってはそういう大会になる。このままプレーするしかない」
　「すごくイライラするが、マスクには感謝していると言うしかない」 【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2024/07/01-17:35）

France captain Kylian Mbappe admitted that playing with a mask to protect his broken nose was absolutely horrible as he prepared for Monday's last-16 clash with Belgium at Euro 2024.
I didn't think it would be, but playing with a mask is absolutely horrible, Mbappe told reporters on the eve of the game in Duesseldorf.
Mbappe broke his nose in a collision in France's opening game at the Euros, a 1-0 win against Austria on June 17.
That forced him to miss the next match, a 0-0 draw with the Netherlands, but he returned for the last outing, a 1-1 stalemate against Poland, while wearing a mask.
He will again have to don the protection against Belgium, but Mbappe said sporting a mask was so uncomfortable he had already tried out several different ones.
I have changed because every time there was something that wasn't right, said the new Real Madrid signing.
It is really difficult. It limits your vision and the sweat gets blocked up so you have to take it off to let it run away.
As soon as I can take it off I will do, but I don't have a choice. That is how my tournament is going to be. I can only play like that.
It is really annoying, but I have to just say thanks to the mask.
France and Belgium meet in a repeat of their semi-final clash at the 2018 World Cup, which Les Bleus won 1-0 on the way to lifting the trophy.
Both teams qualified for the last 16 in second place in their respective groups, each winning just one game and scoring only two goals.
The quality and quantity of chances we made in the first three games was unbelievable, said the Belgium coach, Domenico Tedesco.
It is unbelievable that we scored only two goals in three games, and France too, but this is football.
Belgium needed to hold on for a 0-0 draw with Ukraine in their last outing to secure qualification for the last 16 after a campaign which began with a 1-0 loss to Slovakia.
Tedesco said it would be unfair to judge his team solely on the outcome of the game against the side who lost the 2022 World Cup final.
It is a tough opponent, so it would be hard to just measure all our performances of the last weeks or year by what happens in one game, he said.
But of course it is a special game. We have this feeling already after losing the first game against Slovakia, that against Romania and Ukraine it was kind of an in or out game anyway.
There has been no moment in this tournament where we could relax for two days.