France beat Brazil
France’s preparations were briefly hindered by travel delays en route to the stadium, but there were no signs of concern over Mbappé’s fitness.
KATHMANDU: Kylian Mbappé marked his return from injury with a goal as France national football team secured a 2–1 win over Brazil national football team in a World Cup warm-up match overshadowed by traffic disruption.
France’s preparations were briefly hindered by travel delays en route to the stadium, but there were no signs of concern over Mbappé’s fitness.
The forward, now playing for Real Madrid, had been sidelined for nearly a month with a knee injury and was making his first start since returning.
He opened the scoring in the 32nd minute, finishing clinically from a pass by Ousmane Dembélé. Hugo Ekitike doubled France’s lead in the 65th minute shortly before Mbappé was substituted, as planned by head coach Didier Deschamps.
Deschamps had intended to limit Mbappé’s minutes to around an hour, and the striker was taken off in the 65th minute. “He has great desire. There is still a bit of discomfort, but his ability to make the difference remains exceptional,” the France coach said.
The match drew a crowd of 66,215, with the majority backing Brazil. It was one of the largest football attendances at Gillette Stadium.
France were reduced to 10 men after Dayot Upamecano was sent off in the 55th minute. Brazil pulled one back through Bremer in the 78th minute, following a pass from Luiz Henrique, but could not find an equaliser.
Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti praised the conditions despite the result. “The pitch and stadium were excellent, and the atmosphere was very good with many Brazilian supporters. Everything was right except the result,” he said.
Off the pitch, organisers had earlier faced a dispute with local authorities over security costs, reportedly worth around $8 million, though the issue was resolved ahead of the match.
Cooling breaks were introduced during the game, in line with FIFA’s plans to make such pauses mandatory at the 2026 World Cup, even though temperatures were relatively mild.
France will next face Colombia, while Brazil are set to take on Croatia in their upcoming fixtures.
