Kylian Mbappe out for three weeks, could miss Champions League quarterfinal against Atalanta
Kylian Mbappe could miss Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League quarterfinal against Atalanta after being ruled out for around three weeks to recover from an ankle ligament injury.
The diagnosis came two and a half weeks before PSG is due to face Atalanta in Lisbon on Aug. 12 when the competition resumes after its pandemic-enforced break.
A tearful Kylian Mbappe limped off with an apparent ankle injury as Paris Saint-Germain beat 10-man Saint-Etienne 1-0 to win the French Cup on Friday.
“The imaging workup performed today confirms a sprained ankle with external ligament injury," PSG said in a statement. "Following this trauma, the recovery time is estimated at around 3 weeks.”
Neymar struck PSG's opening goal from close range in the 14th after goalkeeper Jessy Moulin saved Mbappe's shot.
It was hard on Saint-Étienne, which hit the post through striker Denis Bouanga early on. Bouanga had a shot well saved by goalie Keylor Navas later in the first half.
But Moulin also had to make a superb one-handed save to keep out Ángel Di María's curling strike.
Macron spoke at length with the players before kickoff. A maximum of 5,000 fans were allowed at Stade de France because of coronavirus restrictions, but only 2,805 actually attended.
PSG, which lost last season's final on penalty kicks, had not played a competitive game since March 11 when it faced Borussia Dortmund in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16
The 21-year-old Mbappe has 30 goals in 34 appearances this season
