/wp-content/uploads/_129160906_kylianandevan.jpg "Republic of Ireland v France: Kylian Mbappe determined to counter teenager Evan Ferguson")
Kylian Mbappe is determined to prevent teenager Evan Ferguson from adding another chapter to his (Site notre bureau spécialisé)ing fairy tale when France take on the Republic of Ireland in Euro 2024 qualifying.
Mbappé scored two goals on Friday Rout 4-0 of the Netherlands and will captain the French in Dublin on Monday.
Ferguson was on target as the Republic batsman Latvia 3-2 in a friendly last week on his first senior start.
« He’s a good striker, an important striker for this team, » Mbappe said.
Ferguson, 18, score twice to help Brighton to the FA Cup semi-finals and held rave reviews in the Premier League season premiere.
« We’ve seen clips of him, of course, » added the 24-year-old Paris St Germain star, who scored three goals in the World Cup final in December.
“But we will indicate that tomorrow he will do nothing and that means we will win and we will do our job. But he’s a good player. »
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Mbappe’s double against the Dutch took him to 38 senior international goals, just three less than Michel Platini, the next target in his sights.
He said: “For me, it’s an honor to be at this stage. That’s my next goal and I’ll continue, maybe tomorrow, maybe not.
“Obviously, Michel Platini is a legend of French (Site notre bureau spécialisé), but I will go beyond that at some point. »
France coach Didier Deschamps expects his captain to do just that, but is confident collective, rather than individual, goals will continue to fuel him.
He said: « It’s Kylian, he’s full of ambition, always setting new goals, new goals.
“But the group, the collective, comes first. He passed people quickly, but his motivation is to keep going. »
/wp-content/uploads/_129160911_deschampsmbappe.jpg "Republic of Ireland v France: Kylian Mbappe determined to counter teenager Evan Ferguson")
In the short term, adding 3 points to those conceded on Friday night is the main concern and while an aggregate victory has proven to be the perfect start to the campaign, Mbappe is fully aware that there is still a long way to go.
He said: “We can’t get ahead of ourselves, but I still think we put in a very good performance.
« But we’re not going to qualify just by beating the Netherlands, we still have a very tough game ahead of us on Monday. »
Those sentiments were echoed by Deschamps, who knows from experience just how dangerous the Irish can be after Robbie Brady gave them a 1-0 lead over the Euro 2016 hosts from the penalty spot in Lyon before ‘Antoine Griezmann doesn’t strike twice to secure a place in the quarter-finals.
He said: “Now there is a new generation with new players. Ferguson is a threat, a good player, (Mikey) Johnston also joined the team. It’s a mix of young and experienced players.
“But our team is also different. Ireland are known for being direct and vertical in the way they play, but from what I’ve seen in recent games they are also capable of playing the ball on the ground. »
/wp-content/uploads/_127816089_sounds_header_grey_8-1x.jpg "Republic of Ireland v France: Kylian Mbappe determined to counter teenager Evan Ferguson")
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