Fans react to ‘outstanding’ display by Everton man Seamus Coleman as Kylian Mbappe kept quiet in France win

The Everton defender had the unenviable task of standing up to one of the world’s very best.
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Fans are reacting to Seamus Coleman’s strong performance against France last night, as he faced up against the might of Kylian Mbappe for his country.

Ireland lost out to France by a single goal in their Euro 2024 qualifer as Benjamin Pavard punished a wayward pass to fire home an unstoppable strike which gave the World Cup runners-up all three points.

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Coleman started and finished the match despite concerns over a potential injury scare that saw him miss Ireland’s 3-2 friendly win over Latvia.

But the 34-year-old had the unenviable task of dealing with one of the world’s very best in Mbappe - who had just netted two against the Netherlands prior to facing Stephen Kelly’s side.

To many people’s surprise, Coleman performed admirably as the Paris Saint-Germain forward struggled to make an impact.

He was limited to two shots; one was blocked and the other was a big chance he fired wide. Whereas Coleman managed three tackles, one interception, one clearance and won 50% of his ground duels whilst only being dribbled past once.

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With his deal expiring in the summer, his performance was a reminder that he can still perform at a high level - which is great timing as Everton’s other right-back in Nathan Patterson has received minutes for Scotland on his return from injury.

Coleman has started 17 games in the league this season, including every game under Sean Dyche so far and its clear his experience and temperament is respected by the club he’s been at since 2009.

Fans reacted to his performance extremely positively on social media, with one incredibly impressed by his overall performance: ‘Still performing at the highest level aged 34 after all his injuries. An outstanding ambassador for club and country.’

Another praised his performance after his return from injury: ‘One training session going into a game up against Kylian Mbappe Lead on the pitch, defended brilliant, kept the worlds best very quiet’.

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Whilst another broke down his performance in detail: ‘Strong performance from Séamus Coleman, too. Kept Kylian Mbappé under control and visibly coached several teammates through the game. Never over-exposed and certainly not embarrassed, he was quick in body and mind. Love him to bits.’

Its likely he will be the starting right-back for the home game against Tottenham when the Premier League returns this weekend.