Crystal Palace have had plenty of players featuring around the world on international duty, with some fine displays to boot. Whilst many might look to how Wilfried Zaha's Ivory Coast performed, there was an underrated display found in Europe.
The undoubted standout performer has to be Joachim Andersen, whose fine defensive display managed to hold the world champions France to a clean sheet on their way to a 2-0 win.
The 26-year-old played a full 90 minutes alongside former Chelsea centre-back Andreas Christensen; however, it was the Eagles man who really excelled at the heart of the defence.
His average SofaScore rating of 7.5 is indicative of a solid performer, with his defensive stats further proving his performance was worthy of stopping someone of Kylian Mbappe’s quality.
He recorded three clearances, blocked three shots, made three tackles and completed one interception. The centre-back also was not dribbled past once, whilst the £180m-rated French superstar was only successful in three of his nine attempted dribbles.
The 23-year-old was limited to just one big chance during the match, which he missed, as well as losing possession ten times. Andersen kept him quiet throughout, using his impressive physique and turn of pace to stop both him and Olivier Giroud.
Since making the move to Selhurst Park the “commanding” stopper has impressed at the back for Patrick Vieira, who will likely be delighted to see him continue his performances for his national side.
His defensive superiority is further outlined in the fact that he won four of his six ground duels, which would have been imperative against a side like the French, who have incredible technical players capable of dazzling most defenders.
Of his teammates, only Christian Eriksen and the unflappable Kasper Schmeichel recorded higher ratings than him on SofaScore. The shot-stopper made an outstanding seven saves to deny the onslaught they faced.
With a 7.38 average SofaScore rating for this Premier League season, it is clear that this display is merely a continuation of what Palace fans will already be well accustomed to with Andersen, as he has been integral for them over the last season.
This nullification of Mbappe only adds to his ever-growing list of credentials, as he seemingly improves with each game. He has been a wonderful addition to Vieira's side, and the French manager will be elated with his continued high level of performance