The replays immediately showed that pain was understandable, and it set up three minutes of chaos for a player tipped to excel at Euro 2024. Mbappe was battling to get his head on a set-piece, but his follow-through took him into the shoulder of Danso. Neither player was at fault, but it was a painful one for the France captain.

He stayed down after the incident before receiving treatment. With France ahead at the time, they won’t necessarily have minded the time swallowed up by the delay. If they find themselves without Mbappe for their next game, though, it could be a problem.

Should France give Kylian Mbappe a game off to recover? And, even then, the 25-year-old didn’t go quietly. While being helped off the pitch, he attempted to return to the field – holding his nose the whole time.

The return didn’t last long, though, with Mbappe sitting on the turf moments later while France waited to make a change or two. Danso was among the first to approach his opponent, checking on his health. N’Golo Kante and Antoine Griezmann followed closely behind to make sure their team-mate was okay.

The Spanish official didn’t even wait for Mbappe to return to his feet before brandishing a yellow card, seemingly for time-wasting. Eventually, Mbappe was substituted by Didier Deschamps in a double change. He left the field for Olivier Giroud, while Youssouf Fofana took the place of Griezmann.

France had to survive a lengthy period of stoppage-time, with the number of added minutes growing thanks to their captain’s injury and treatment. They held out, though, claiming a vital three points. “Kylian Mbappe returns to the base camp of the French national team,” their statement read.

“Mbappe suffered a broken nose during the second part of the Austria-France held this Monday in Dusseldorf. The captain of France was treated first by the medical staff and Dr. Franck Le Gall, who diagnosed him with a nose fracture. Mbappe will receive treatment in the next few days, but he will not undergo surgery in the immediate future.

This is despite confirmation Mbappe won’t require surgery. Les Bleus’ final group game is against Poland on June 25, but they may have to decide on a short-term replacement for the skipper before then, Giroud and Randal Kolo Muani, both of whom came off the bench against Austria, will hope to get the nod from Deschamps.