Mbappe praises difference-maker Maignan after penalty saves: “We were convinced” | OneFootball

Mike Maignan has regularly struggled when facing penalties for AC Milan, but for the French National Team, his teammates always feel confident about his chances.

During last season, it was well reported that Maignan’s penalty record was rather sub-par and this season, he has saved one of the two that he has faced in Serie A. Nevertheless, when it comes to the National set-up, there are no doubts.

Whether it be his penalty-saving ability or his actual shot-stopping, Les Bleus have an immense amount of faith in their number 1, which is a bit of a difference compared to what it’s like back in Milan for Maignan.

At present, the club are considering whether they would be better to sell the Frenchman, in favour of replacing him with Lucas Chevalier, who, as the current goalkeeper did, plays for Lille.

Speaking after the game, Kylian Mbappe was full of praise for his teammate, and his words to TF1 have been relayed by Milan News.

“We woke up with the idea that we could have a great night, we were convinced that we could do something great. We didn’t want to let them breathe, otherwise they would have run you down. We were missing goals. Michael kicked a spectacular free kick and Ousmane was very effective.

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“We know we have a goalkeeper [Maignan] who makes the difference in penalties, so we have an advantage. It was a goal, we were convinced we would achieve qualification.

“We needed a game like that to get the crowd back on our side. We wanted to create the most hostile atmosphere possible for our opponents while respecting the rules. In Croatia, we felt as if we were not at home. Now we go to the Final Four. There is a title at stake, we will try to reach it.”