– France does the minimum against Austria, Mbappé breaks his nose
The Blues won 1-0 for their entry into Euro 2024, Monday in Düsseldorf. With some success. But Mbappé was injured.
It was a cross from Kylian Mbappé which caused the autogoal.
AFP
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The French team is carrying out its program. The Blues started their Euro 2024 on Monday, almost as expected: by beating Austria, but without flying over the match. In Düsseldorf, they won 1-0, thanks to an own goal from Wöber in the first half.
No surprise. Popular references come back, even if they are not in very good taste. Didier Deschamps and his favorite animal. We play the 36th minute: a golden Austrian opportunity where Mike Maignan masterfully intervenes in front of Christoph Baumgartner. He concedes the corner: the referee does not grant it. The action that follows takes place, until Kylian Mbappé is hit on the right side, while he was expected in the center, or even on the left. The captain of the Blues overflows and crosses to the line. There, Austrian defender Maximilian Wöber hits a header… into his own goal. Unlikely. But true.
Strong defense
So goes the French team, Deschamps version. A few individual flights (Théo Hernandez, Rabiot or Mbappé), a wait-and-see but solid defense, and this success which changes a match. Because this Austria, in its desire to impose a certain intensity on France, succeeded in its enterprise. This unleashed the match, made possible the idea that Austria would go ahead. And if the 36th minute opportunity had ended in a goal, it would have all made sense.
After that, to score a goal for this France, you have to get up early, despite all the defensive inaccuracies of an Upamecano-Saliba pair not really sure of their complementarities.
But there was in the midfield of the France team, a certain N’Golo Kanté, and although he now plays in Saudi Arabia and has not returned to the selection for almost two years, he is quickly became indispensable again. For his ability to scratch and recover balls like no other. Austria thus had almost nothing after the break, except for a surge at the end of the match.
Missed actions
It’s France that should have doubled down. Like this face-to-face that Mbappé implausibly missed, shooting to the right of Pentz’s frame (55th). Or even this shot that was far too soft from Jules Koundé to deceive the Austrian goalkeeper.
It is therefore difficult to consider that the French team convinced on Monday. If this wasn’t relatively common in major competitions, it might be a little concerning. But it will take a real alert, an unfavorable result (she faces the Netherlands on Friday) for us to be a little more concerned about it. Because once again, she won. And that is more than enough to satisfy her.
“Euro 2024”
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