SOCCER: France star Kylian Mbappe '100%' entering Spain match

France coach Didier Deschamps confirmed on Monday that star forward Kylian Mbappe is fully fit for Tuesday's FIFA World Cup semifinal against Spain in Arlington, Texas, despite suffering an ankle injury during the quarterfinal win over Morocco.

Mbappe was substituted in the 76th minute of France's 2-0 victory over Morocco last Thursday after appearing to injure his right ankle. He was later seen with an ice pack on the affected area while sitting on the bench, raising concerns about his availability for the semifinal.

However, Deschamps dismissed any doubts over the 27-year-old's fitness.

"Kylian feels good," Deschamps said. "He is at 100%, we cannot go above."

Although Mbappe had a lighter workload during the portion of Monday's training session open to the media, Deschamps said the adjustment was only precautionary.

"He trained. He is allowed to do 10 minutes in one drill instead of 15," the France coach added.

Mbappe enters the semifinal in outstanding form, leading the World Cup Golden Boot race with eight goals in six matches. He is tied with Argentina captain Lionel Messi on goals but holds the edge with three assists compared to Messi's two.

His 11 goal contributions are the most by any player at a single World Cup since Germany's Gerd Muller recorded 13 in the 1970 tournament.

France will be aiming to reach a third consecutive FIFA World Cup final, a feat last achieved by Brazil, who advanced to three straight finals from 1994 to 2002. -Field Level Media/Reuters