France staves off Austria to avoid third Euro upset of the day
A hectic day in Germany for Euro 2024 came to an end with another tight affair between Austria and France. Underdogs Austria provided the French with a physical affair in Dusseldorf. The difference was an own goal from Austria that gave France three points and stay on pace with the Netherlands, the other titan in Group D.
Both sides missed chances in what was not the cleanest game of Euro 2024 so far. The first of the great looks of the game fell to Austria. Christoph Baumgartner hopped on a clever header from Michael Gregoritsch to go through alone on goal. Baumgartner just beat France goalkeeper Mike Maignan to the ball, but the Milan shot-stopper got enough on the shot to deflect the ball narrowly wide of the post.
No more than two minutes later, France found the lead. It was a moment to forget for Max Wober. Kylian Mbappe went on a patented run of skill to speed around the Austria defense. His driven cross met the head of Wober who was trying to clear it away. Instead, the ball glanced off his head and trickled into the Austria net. France had a lead that it would take into halftime.
France dominant defensively in win over Austria
Soon after the restart, everyone in the stadium thought it would be 2-0. Kylian Mbappe, who everyone knows as one of the best one-on-one players of this generation, was through on goal against Patrick Pentz, the Austria goalkeeper. Perhaps already thinking of what celebration he was going to do, Mbappe blasted the shot wide with Pentz going the other direction.
The only other big chance of the game fell to Olivier Giroud coming off the bench. Randal Kolo Muani beat the Austrian defense down the right side of the attack. He passed the ball against the grain to an open Giroud, who miscued his shot. The former Milan striker looked down at the ground as if the ball magically popped up over his foot. Fortunately for France, it would not be costly. The own goal in the first half was enough for Les Bleus to hold on for an important three points.
Another takeaway from the game is Kylian Mbappe. In a bizarre span during the game, Mbappe needed medical assistance after taking an unfortunate shoulder to the face during a free kick. While the referee had yet to wave Mbappe back onto the pitch, he re-entered the contest and immediately went down. That stopped play, and the referee correctly brandished a yellow card for Mbappe. Now, Mbappe faces two points of contention. His injury may affect his status for future games if it is serious. For example, some kind of facial fracture would cause him to miss time. That, of course, is speculative, as there have been no reports as to what the injury is.
The other thing to note is that Mbappe received a yellow card. In the first five matches of the Euros, a player receiving two yellow cards faces a one-game suspension for their next contest. Therefore, if Mbappe picks up a yellow card in matchday two, he will miss the final group-stage game against Poland.
For now, though France will take three points into a massive game against the Netherlands on Friday, June 21. That same day, Austria will look to bounce back against Poland, which is also in need of points.
PHOTOS: IMAGO