France had to see out a 1-0 win against an organized Austrian side in their opening match at the 2024 European Championship in Germany.
Les Bleus secured maximum points courtesy of Max Wöber’s own goal, and it was far from convincing with an array of stars at France’s disposal.
The two sides largely neutralized each other in the first half, and there were few chances between them.
France’s main source of attack was the captain, Kylian Mbappé. Still, the first was AC Milan defender Theo Hernandez, who under-lapped and over-lapped runs that caused the most problems in a relatively settled Austria defense.
The AC Milan defender’s runs contributed to Les Bleus’ best chance of the half as he combined with Adrien Rabiot, who put the ball through to Mbappé. The soon-to-be Real Madrid forward opened his body to drag the shot to the near post, but it was stopped by Patrick Pentz, who tipped it around the corner.
The best chance of the first half came to Austria. Christoph Baumgartner latched onto Marcel Sabitzer’s knock-down within the France penalty area, but he couldn’t beat Mike Maignan, who was starting in a major tournament for the first time.
France went ahead seconds later as Mbappé floated across the front line, found himself on the right-hand side, and put a ball back into the box, which was then inexplicably diverted into his own net by Wöber.
After a relatively flat affair in the first half with a few moments of tension, France upped their tempo in the second half. Mbappé missed an opportunity to add to his tournament goal tally when, for his standards, he was a sitter. With a one-on-one chance with Pentz, everyone expected the net to bulge, but the former PSG striker curled wide.
Meanwhile, France could have another headache after Mbappé had to be replaced late due to a suspected broken nose after a nasty collision.
Mbappé raised to challenge Swiss defender Kevin Danso in the air to a header but, after losing the battle, was met by the Austrian international’s shoulder.
The Real Madrid forward suffered a significant impact as blood rushed from his nose and onto the white France jersey. With a look of worry, Austrian goalkeeper Patrick Pentz immediately urged the French physios to give the former Monaco attacker urgent treatment.
Although he left the pitch with an injury, the France captain quickly returned to the pitch and was ultimately booked for time-wasting as he looked to aid the clock ticking down and secure France’s first victory of EURO 2024. Mbappé eventually made way for France’s all-time highest goalscorer, Olivier Giroud.
What’s left is to know how this will impact the forward’s availability for the rest of the tournament.
