France's star forward Kylian Mbappe made a successful return from a left knee injury, scoring the opening goal in a 2-1 friendly victory over Brazil in a World Cup tune-up match. In front of a crowd of 66,215 at Gillette Stadium, Mbappe broke the deadlock in the 32nd minute, latching onto a through ball from Ousmane Dembele and chipping it over the goalkeeper.

France extended its lead to 2-0 in the 65th minute when Liverpool's top scorer this season, Hugo Ekitike, converted a pass from Michael Olise in the penalty area. Mbappe was substituted immediately afterward. Brazil pulled one back in the 78th minute as Bremer redirected a cross from Luiz Henrique past French keeper Mike Maignan.

The match proceeded smoothly despite pre-game tensions between the town of Foxborough and World Cup organizers over nearly $8 million in security costs, resolved two weeks prior with an advance payment agreement. The town approved the necessary entertainment license, and natural grass replaced artificial turf at the stadium to meet FIFA requirements.

Mbappe, who sprained his left knee in December and missed nearly a month of action after playing through January, started the match after appearing as a substitute in Real Madrid's last two games. He stated earlier this week that his injury is "truly behind me," dismissing false reports about a medical mix-up.

The friendly also featured a mid-half "cooling break," a new FIFA mandate for all 2026 World Cup matches regardless of temperature, implemented after heat issues during last year's Club World Cup. If both France and Brazil win their groups at the World Cup, their next possible meeting would be in the final.

Source: www.aljazeera.com