Kylian Mbappé marked his comeback to the Euro 2024 tournament in Germany with a goal against Poland, despite wearing a protective mask for his recently broken nose. However, his contribution wasn’t enough to secure a victory for France on Tuesday. The match concluded in a 1-1 draw, highlighting France’s ongoing challenges in the Euro 2024 competition.
Mbappé, celebrating his 56th-minute penalty conversion, briefly removed his mask in front of the French supporters. Poland’s captain, Robert Lewandowski, responded with a penalty of his own in the 79th minute. Lewandowski’s penalty, which he retook after an initial save, finalized the scoreline. This result positioned France as the second-place team in Group D, behind Austria. Consequently, France now faces a tougher path in the tournament, landing in the same bracket as European powerhouses Portugal with Cristiano Ronaldo, host nation Germany, and Spain.
Earlier in the day, Austria defeated the Netherlands 3-2 in another Group D match played simultaneously.
This draw means France is still searching for their first open-play goal at Euro 2024. Their only previous goal was an own goal in a 1-0 victory against Austria. They also played to a scoreless draw against the Netherlands in a game Mbappé missed due to his nose injury sustained against Austria.
While Les Bleus have advanced to the next stage, their performances have been less than convincing.
French coach Didier Deschamps acknowledged the need for improvement, stating, “I would be a lot more concerned if there were no chances, but obviously there is a little bit of room for improvement. Maybe there are other teams who have given off something a bit different, but the fact we haven’t scored limits our performance. We are here where we want to be.”
Mbappé was reinstated into the starting lineup for the match against Poland, who were already out of contention before the game began. Wearing a black mask, which visibly affected his peripheral vision, Mbappé seemed somewhat hampered.
He avoided overly physical confrontations and aerial duels, often positioning himself at the edge of the penalty area, waiting for passes.
Deschamps noted the difficulties Mbappé faced, saying it was “complicated” for him.
“I thought he was quite good on his feet with the mask — he needed to get used to it,” Deschamps commented. “But when he sweats, that sticks in his eyes and he needed to wipe his eyes.”
Despite these challenges, Mbappé remained France’s primary offensive threat. He finally broke his six-game goal drought in major international tournaments – encompassing four games at Euro 2020 and two at Euro 2024 – after Ousmane Dembele was fouled in the box. This penalty goal marked Mbappé’s 48th for the French national team, adding to his impressive record as he prepares to join Real Madrid.
Mbappé played the entire match, starting as a central striker and later moving to the left wing. However, France’s overall performance remained lackluster, a concern for a team with the pedigree of a two-time European champion and the 2022 World Cup runner-up.
France is set to play against the runner-up from Group E in the round of 16 on July 1. Potential opponents include Belgium, Romania, Slovakia, or Ukraine. The path ahead will become significantly more challenging from this stage.
In contrast to France’s uncertain form, Poland’s Euro 2024 journey concluded with this match.
In what is likely his final European Championship appearance, the 36-year-old Lewandowski left his mark with a goal. He required two attempts to beat French goalkeeper Mike Maignan from the penalty spot, due to his characteristic stutter-step approach.
Maignan initially saved Lewandowski’s first attempt, but the save was disallowed because the goalkeeper was ruled to have moved off his line prematurely.
Given a second chance, Lewandowski employed the same run-up and this time placed the ball into the bottom corner, despite Maignan diving correctly. This goal was Lewandowski’s 83rd international goal.
Interestingly, a similar situation occurred in a World Cup match against France, where Lewandowski scored on a retaken penalty against Hugo Lloris after encroachment.
While Poland’s Euro 2024 campaign ends here, they managed to secure a point against a strong French side, with Lewandowski adding to his international goal tally in what might be his last major tournament appearance for Poland In Euro competitions. For France, despite Mbappé’s return and goal, questions remain about their overall form as they advance to the knockout stages of Euro 2024.
