BELGIUM have been forced to apologise to Kylian Mbappe after midfielder Amadou Onana said he would tackle the France captain “in the shin”.
Red Devils fans have started a new chant about the Everton man tackling Mbappe, and the 22-year-old has repeated it on video ahead of their last-16 meeting on Monday.
In a clip published by the Belgian FA, Brussels-based comedian, Pablo Andres, says, “Who will kick Mbappe in the shin?” before Onana chants his own name.
Ahead of their press conference on Saturday, Belgium‘s press officer Stefan Van Loock issued an apology and said the clip had been removed from their social media.
He said: “It was not the intention to attack anyone.
“We have been working with comedian Pablo Andres for a long time, this video also had to be funny.
“But we misjudged that and also took the video offline.
“We would like to apologise to anyone we may have offended with this. For us, this is the end of the matter.”
The clip will add extra spice to a tie which is already viewed as somewhat of a derby given the two counties share a border.
It is also a repeat of the 2018 World Cup semi-final, which France edged thanks to Samuel Umtiti‘s goal on their way to winning the tournament.
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Belgium captain Kevin De Bruyne has insisted that his side are the underdogs going into their first knockout game – though there is still confidence a result can be pulled off.
Johan Bakayoko, the PSV Eindhoven winger, said: “Honestly, I don’t think there is a favourite.
“We have strengths and weaknesses, just like they do. Both teams fear each other.
“I only saw their match against the Netherlands and it was evenly matched. So I can’t really comment on their team.
“But the key will lie in our own game. If we play well together as we already did and based on our strengths, we can of course win.”
Despite this being the first step into the knockouts, which can be settled by extra time or penalties, Bakayoko also revealed that Domenico Tedesco’s side had not been practising spot-kicks.
By Jack Rosser
KYLIAN MBAPPE has trained wearing a new mask after growing frustrated with the thickness of the one he wore against Poland.
The Real Madrid-bound star tried the new thinner model in a session on Friday after complaints over his peripheral vision being impacted in the final group game.
Mbappe has also had to regularly wipe sweat away from his eyes during the Poland game and sessions at their Paderborn base.
The France captain is having to wear the mask after breaking his nose in their Euros opener against Austria in Dusseldorf.
Mbappe sat out the second group game against the Netherlands, a 0-0 draw in which his teammates missed a host of chances.
He returned to start against Poland, scoring the only goal from the penalty spot.
The skipper has been the only France player involved in a goal so far at the tournament, his cross forcing Austria’s own goal in the first Group D game.
Les Bleus also expect Kingsley Coman to be available to face Belgium after the Bayern Munich winger left the camp on Friday to attend the birth of his fourth child in Sweden.
Coman has made just one appearance from the bench in Germany so far and has been struggling with illness and injury knocks throughout the group stages.
Antoine Griezmann is expected to return to the starting line-up having been dropped for the final group game against Poland.
Teammate Eduardo Camavinga said of the Atletico Madrid star: “He’s a model of longevity. He’s a very calm person.
“So he’s certainly set a good example for the young players to try and emulate what he does and take the next step like he did.”
France began practising them this week, but the Belgian winger said: “Have we trained penalties? No. Coincidentally, Lois Openda kicked one. Whether it went in, you’ll have to ask him.”
Bakayoko, 21, came into the Euros off the back of a stellar season with PSV Eindhoven – bagging 14 goals and 14 assists in all competitions as they won the Dutch title.
That has seen the winger linked with a move to Arsenal in the Belgian media – but he remained coy on his future.
Bakayoko added: “I don’t know if I’m going to leave PSV. I never said that.
“Other people said that before me. But now I’m definitely focused on my performance at the European Championship.”
While his fine form has resulted in links to the Premier League, Bakayoko has had to settle for limited time in Germany so far – coming off the bench in two of the three group stage games and sitting out the 2-0 win over Romania.
He added: “I was disappointed that I was not yet in the starting line-up.
“But I am not frustrated, because the coach makes the best decisions. We are also through, so he is right.”
