After days of media speculation over exactly which knee Real Madrid’s medical team examined, Kylian Mbappé let his feet do the talking as he started his first game since February 21st as 10-man France beat Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil 2-1 in Boston on Thursday.
Coach Didier Deschamps passed up the opportunity to test the depth of his squad and opted for a strong line-up, also including Real Madrid’s Aurélien Tchouameni in midfield while Eduardo Camavinga was on the bench.
In a friendly held at the Gillette
Stadium in Foxborough as a test event ahead of this summer’s World Cup, a grass playing surface was put to the test after it replaced an artificial field which was installed in 2006. Both teams donned their second kits for the occasion.
Mbappé scored the first goal of the game just after the half-hour mark, racing through on the counter and chipping Brazil goalkeeper Ederson. It made it his seventh consecutive appearance with a goal for France, and took his tally to 55 senior goals for his country.
The 27-year-old striker lasted 66 minutes in total, that strike being his only shot on target. He was active though, registering nine touches in the Brazil box, seeming to have regained that extra yard of pace.
Notably, Mbappé recovered possession four times as he pressed from the front in an intense approach alongside Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembélé.
Tchouameni and Camavinga also featured
Aurélien Tchouameni started in a double pivot in midfield alongside Adrien Rabiot, playing 59 minutes before being withdrawn for Fenerbahçe’s N’Golo Kanté as Deschamps made adjustments following Dayot Upmecano’s red card.
Playing in the holding midfield role, in part defending up against his team-mate Vinícius Júnior, Tchouameni recorded 97% pass completion and won two of his three duels.
He finished the game watching on from the bench alongside Eduardo Camavinga, who was an unused substitute. Camavinga has not played for his country since October 2025.
France will return to the Gillette Stadium for their final group game of the FIFA World Cup on June 26th, when they will face Erling Haaland’s Norway in Group I.
