Nuno Mendes had some kind words to say about Kylian Mbappe and the French players in an interview, by ESPN sports.
MONTPELLIER, FRANCE – MARCH 17: Kylian Mbappe and Nuno Mendes of PSG celebrate the victory following the Ligue 1 Uber Eats match between Montpellier HSC (MHSC) and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) at Stade de la Mosson on March 17, 2024 in Montpellier, France.(Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)
New Delhi: Nuno Mendes has had a decent campaign with the Portuguese side playing as a left back. The promising 22-year-old defender who plays for Paris Saint- Germain said that he is ready to take on Mbappe if he gets the chance. The confident youngster has played with the French superstar at PSG for two seasons and now he looks set to face him as Portugal get ready to clash with France in quarter final of the UEFA Euro 2024.
When Nuno Mendes was asked if he is ready to face off against one of the most pacy wingers in the world, Kylian Mbappe, he was confident and stated-
(Nuno Mendes stated the following in an interview with ESPN Sports)
“I don’t think he will be playing on my flank, but if it happens I’m prepared,”
“I train every day for these moments and we are prepared to face them.”
“They have high-level players, but we also have great players. We need to do everything we can to cancel France’s strengths and play our game.”
This shows that the Portuguese left back is ready to face the challenges that he might face during a five star clash between two of Europe’s best footballing nations, France and Portugal. These two will be battling for a spot at the semi final on 6th July, 12:30 am(IST).
Portugal have had their ups and downs in this edition of Euro chapionship as they were able to scrape out a victory against Slovenia to qualify for the quarter final. It was a terrific end to the match where Portugal certainly didn’t look like their best, as there was a limp in their finishing against a very determined and stubborn Slovenian defence. The main highlight of the match was when Cristiano Ronaldo failed to open his account for this campaign after his penalty was saved by the fantastic Jan Oblak.
Nuno Mendes also stated that it was a tough moment for Ronaldo and that the entire Portugal team was there to help. Besides, he also stated that Diogo Costa’s match winning saves made it a lot better as they progressed through to the quarter finals where they are up against France.
Meanwhile France have also looked nowhere close to their standards this campaign. The French players are yet to score a goal from an open play. France have managed to score a penalty which came during the group stages, and two own goals, one of them coming in their most recent round of 16 game where they were able to knick past Belgium.
However, Portugal will be up against France in the quarter final and both the teams will be looking to progress through to the semis with a statement victory.