Striker Kylian Mbappe ran towards centre-back Jan Vertonghen to cheer, after the Belgian player scored an own goal in the loss to France in the Euro 1/8 round.
In the 85th minute, Vertonghen blocked Randal Kolo Muani's shot, causing the ball to deflect into an own goal for Belgium. While his teammates ran to Muani to celebrate, Mbappe turned to Vertonghen to raise his arms in celebration, but at that moment the 37-year-old center-back turned away and did not see the French captain's action.
Mbappe's actions did not escape the eyes of Swedish referee Glenn Nyberg. He reminded Mbappe about that attitude, but did not show the 26-year-old striker a yellow card.
However, Mbappe did not escape criticism from social networks. The account @FiorentinaTuna on X commented: "Mbappe has no dignity at all". @itz_Olajerry responded: "That's not good at all". And @PhilipDawson1 commented: "Really unprofessional, shameful, especially for a captain".
The source of Mbappe's actions came in the 71st minute, when the two players collided in the Belgian penalty area. After that, they continued to exchange words, almost fighting, if not for the referee's intervention. A few minutes later, Vertonghen received a yellow card, but for a foul on Muani.
Euro 2024 is Mbappe's first major tournament as captain of the French national team, after Hugo Lloris at the 2022 World Cup. The Real Madrid rookie striker has not performed well in Germany, scoring only one goal from a penalty. In the match against Belgium, Mbappe shot five times, all over the bar.
Vertonghen has been playing for Belgium since 2007, scoring 10 goals in 156 games, a record for the number of appearances for the national team. The 37-year-old centre-back was visibly disappointed when he scored an own goal, although the situation was unfortunate.
After the match, Vertonghen and Mbappe still shook hands, as Belgium stopped, and France entered the quarter-finals.