DORTMUND, Germany — Kylian Mbappé made a notable comeback at the European Championship, sporting a protective mask for his broken nose and scoring against Poland. However, his goal wasn’t enough to secure a victory for France on Tuesday, nor did it resolve the team’s emerging challenges at Euro 2024 against a determined Poland Euro 2024 squad.
Mbappé briefly removed his mask to celebrate in front of French fans after converting a penalty in the 56th minute. Yet, Poland’s Robert Lewandowski responded with a penalty of his own in the 79th minute, requiring two attempts to convert, ultimately sealing a 1-1 draw. This result relegated France to second place in Group D behind Austria and placed them in a challenging bracket alongside European powerhouses like Portugal with Cristiano Ronaldo, host nation Germany, and Spain.
Austria had earlier triumphed over the Netherlands 3-2 in a parallel match.
This draw also highlighted a concerning statistic for France: they have yet to score a goal from open play at Euro 2024. Their previous 1-0 victory against Austria was attributed to an own goal, and they had drawn 0-0 with the Netherlands in a match Mbappé missed due to his nose injury sustained against Austria.
Despite advancing to the next stage, the French team, often considered favorites, have not delivered convincing performances.
“I would be significantly more worried if we weren’t creating opportunities, but there’s clearly room for improvement,” commented France coach Didier Deschamps. “Perhaps some other teams have shown a different level, but our lack of scoring does limit our overall performance. Nonetheless, we are positioned where we aimed to be.”
Mbappé was reinstated into the starting lineup against Poland, who were already out of contention before this match. The black mask, while necessary, visibly hindered his peripheral vision.
Image alt text: Kylian Mbappe mask goal celebration, Euro 2024 France vs Poland match.
Throughout the game, Mbappé avoided overly physical confrontations and aerial duels, often positioning himself at the edge of the box, waiting for passes.
Deschamps acknowledged the difficulties Mbappé faced, stating, “It was complicated for Kylian. I thought he managed well on the ground with the mask—he needs time to adjust. But when he perspires, it obstructs his vision, requiring him to wipe his eyes frequently.”
Despite these challenges, Mbappé remained France’s most potent attacking threat. He finally broke his six-game goal drought in major tournaments—encompassing four games at Euro 2020 and two at Euro 2024—after Ousmane Dembele was fouled in the penalty area. This goal marked his 48th for the French national team, a significant milestone for the player expected to join Real Madrid.
Mbappé played the entire match, starting centrally before shifting to the left wing, in what was another less-than-stellar team performance from France, a nation with two European Championship titles and the 2022 World Cup runner-up status.
France is now set to face the runner-up from Group E in the round of 16 on July 1, potentially facing Belgium, Romania, Slovakia, or Ukraine. The path ahead will become considerably more challenging from this stage.
While France advances, Poland’s Euro 2024 journey concludes.
In what was likely his final European Championship appearance, the 36-year-old Lewandowski left his mark with a goal, albeit needing two attempts to overcome goalkeeper Mike Maignan with his signature stutter-step penalty technique.
Maignan initially saved Lewandowski’s first penalty, but the attempt was retaken as Maignan was judged to have moved off his line prematurely.
Robert Lewandowski successfully converts a retaken penalty kick
Image alt text: Robert Lewandowski scores penalty second attempt Poland vs France Euro 2024.
Given a second chance, Lewandowski employed the same approach and this time placed the ball into the bottom corner, despite Maignan diving correctly. This goal, his 83rd international goal, offered a bittersweet end to Poland’s Euro 2024 campaign.
A similar scenario unfolded at the World Cup against France, where Lewandowski also scored on a retaken penalty against Hugo Lloris after encroachment.
AP Euro 2024: https://apnews.com/hub/euro-2024
