Rabiot out of Nations League final
Adrien Rabiot has tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss the Nations League final between France and Spain on Sunday as a result.
The Juventus midfielder started as Les Bleus came back from 2-0 down to beat Belgium 3-2 in the semi-finals, coming off for Monaco’s Aurelien Tchouameni with the scores level in the 75th minute.
Yannick Carrasco and Romelu Lukaku struck in the first half but Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappe hauled France level before Theo Hernandez hit a dramatic winner in the 90th minute. However, Rabiot will not be able to participate in Sunday’s showdown in Milan and is now in isolation away from the rest of the squad.
The news of the midfielder’s unavailability will come as a blow to France boss Didier Deschamps, who has already lost left-back Lucas Digne to a hamstring injury and was unable to call up N’Golo Kante for the tournament, with the Chelsea star having also contracted COVID-19. France are unable to name replacements for the pair and will be forced to face Spain at San Siro with a 21-man squad.
dpa
Photo Head coach of France Didier Deschamps (R) congratulates midfielder Adrien Rabiot
for his performance after taking him off during the UEFA Nations League semi final soccer match between Belgium and France in Turin, Italy, 07 October 2021. EPA-EFE/Massimo Rana / POOL
