A French talisman has been camouflaged. Less of Kylian Mbappe has been seen than expected: he missed the stalemate with the Netherlands. When he returned against Poland, some of his face was concealed by the mask protecting his broken nose.
If Antoine Griezmann has been obscured, it is for different reasons. If Mbappe’s return formed one notable detail on the teamsheet for the Poland draw, an absentee was perhaps still more significant. For the first time in a tournament game since 2016 when there was something at stake, Griezmann did not start for France.
