France football star Kylian Mbappe appeared to get brutally snubbed by England players in the tunnel before the two teams faced off at the FIFA World Cup 2022 quarterfinal in Qatar on Saturday night. Mbappe was seen trying to shake hands with England's Kyle Walker and reached out to him but was completely ignored.
The Three Lions suffered heartbreak when they were eliminated from the 2022 World Cup after being beaten by France 2-1. Walker, the right-back for England, was the center of attention ahead of the match since he would be charged with containing the explosive winger but boasted that he "knew how he could stop Mbappe."
English Insult
Given that most of the pre-game talk was on how the striker would perform versus Walker, it was not surprising to see the cameras focus on the Paris Saint-Germain star. "I understand what I need to do and that is to stop him," the 32-year-old said in a press conference ahead of the match. "It's easier said than done but I don't underestimate myself."
"You have to give him respect but not too much. Yes, it will be a tough game but a team cannot just be about one person," he added.
While the contest between the two players was exciting, when they first met in the tunnel before the game, it seemed like there was no chemistry. Walker instead made clear that he is in no mood to have a friendly conversation with Mbappe.
Mbappe extended a hand to Walker, in front of Jordan Henderson, but neither England stars paid him any attention, blatantly ignoring him instead. The Frenchman was left hanging for just too long before he took his hand away and laughed off the moment.
Walker would be the only one to know whether he ever noticed Mbappe or was simply flagrantly disregarding his competitor, but it was unsettling to witness. But in the end, France was victorious.
Nothing Matters to Mbappe
The rude attitude of Walker and Henderson has left many shocked, it hasn't mattered much to Mbappe, whose team had the last laugh.
While Walker put in a valiant effort to contain Mbappe for the majority of the game, Olivier Giroud, Aurelien Tchouameni, and Antoine Griezmann were responsible for England's defeat.
The game's main player, Griezmann, set up Tchouameni for a contentious long-range goal that may not have stood because of a foul on Bukayo Saka in the build-up.
Harry Kane's missed late penalty opportunity allowed the world champions to defeat the Three Lions 2-1 and advance to the semifinals against Morocco. Photos of Mbappe laughing uncontrollably caused his response to go viral.
Antoine Griezmann's wonderful cross was completed by Olivier Giroud, who ultimately emerged as the match's hero in terms of scoring, despite Harry Maguire receiving criticism for his defending. Southgate has since made comments about his future.
