Kylian Mbappe shared a heartfelt celebration with France head coach Didier Deschamps after scoring against Sweden, dedicating his goal to the manager following the death of his mother last week. The Real Madrid forward broke the deadlock and immediately ran to Deschamps, embracing him on the sidelines.
Deschamps returns after funeral
Deschamps had missed France's final group stage win over Norway after returning to France for his mother's funeral. Assistant coach Guy Stephan took charge for the 4-1 victory, secured by Ousmane Dembele's hat-trick. Deschamps was back in the dugout for the Round of 32 match against Sweden, coached by Graham Potter.
After a goalless first half, Mbappe scored his fifth goal of the tournament with a superb individual finish, moving one behind record tournament goalscorer Lionel Messi. The goal came from a quick corner routine that exposed Sweden's defensive instability. Mbappe drifted past Alexander Isak, beat Viktor Gyokeres, and curled the ball into the far corner.
Emotional tribute
Mbappe brushed aside teammates to hug Deschamps. Speaking before the match, Deschamps said: "How am I? I'm doing okay. Obviously I had complicated days where I was devastated. But for my own personal well-being and for the good of the France team, I had to leave. Afterwards, they did what was necessary. Since I've been back, I've got back into this preparation for this match against Sweden. It's good to have my head occupied."
Deschamps learned of his mother's death after France's 3-0 win over Iraq, which confirmed their place in the knockout stages. France had planned to pay respects during the Norway match but FIFA rejected their request for a minute's silence and black armbands, instead instructing a silence for earthquake victims in Venezuela.
Team support
Midfielder Adrien Rabiot said Deschamps hid his emotions to avoid distracting the squad from avenging their World Cup final defeat to Argentina four years ago. Rabiot stated: "Didier came back with the willpower to go as far as possible in this World Cup. It is something that, of course, will also help him to forget a little bit about these tragic events. He smiled a lot. He tried to be enthusiastic, although I know that he's very affected by his grief. I think he's trying not to show it, not to transmit any negative to the squad."
