- Captain Mbappe had previously failed to score at a European championship
- Lewandowski started his first – and last – Euros tie after struggling with injury
- LISTEN to It’s All Kicking Off! on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. New episodes released every day during the Euros
Oh yes, the mask fitted and Kylian Mbappe wore it so well, ripping it off to take the acclaim after a converted penalty kick. But one swallow doesn’t make a summer, Poland dragged the game back and the French nation is destined for angst in the days ahead.
The scoreline, which means France will now face the second-placed side in Belgium’s Group of Chaos, reflects a team searching for the same potency and sense of union that the Spanish and Germans are enjoying. It was there in a scintillating first half against Austria and not entirely seen since.
They’ve had more than enough chances to command the group, finding the target with only seven of 20 shots on this occasion. But Batman was short of a Robin or two.
Ngolo Kante lacked precision in two key first-half moments. There was no one to take on and convert the ball fizzed into the six-yard box by Ousmane Demebele – one of the few in blue capable of breaking the lines.
A chunk of Didier Deschamps’ press conference last night was consumed with his decision to drop Antoine Griezmann after an indifferent performance against the Netherlands.
The quality of the France’s creator-in-chief in Qatar was missed, and Griezmann hinted that he had been ready to start.
Deschamps stood by his decision, insisting that an apparent conflagration between the two of them on the bench, when he seemed to be shouting at Griezmann, was insignificant.
‘No. I was on the bench and I could have done this with any player,’ he said. ‘Don’t read anything into it. He took it with a smile – no issues. I don’t know what gossip you’re hearing, from the local butcher, baker. There will be unhappy players in my team who are not playing.’
The good news, from a French perspective, is that a voodoo is lifted for Mbappe, whose converted spot-kick early in the second half – after Jakub Kiwior had clumsily taken down Demebele – finally brought him a European Championships goal.
Mbappe’s 23 shots, in 535 minutes of football, across two European Championships tournaments, had previously delivered none. No French player had struck more without success since the statisticians started counting nearly more than 40 years ago.
The captain was everywhere – running between the lines to receive and give, always finding the pockets and looking for possession. Such quick feet. But there were scant times when he could simply fly as the lead rider in the counter-attacking unit which can be so brutal when at its best.
He worked angles with his teammates, but twice approached goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski on the byline with the ball at his feet. It was like trying to score in a cupboard.
There were extenuating circumstances in the presence of Bologna’s Skorupski, the game’s outstanding player. Mbappe’s penalty seemed to have sealed things – with Austria and Netherlands level, France went to the top of the group – before things began to unravel.
Some fairly innocuous boot-on-boot contact between Dayot Upamecano and Polish substitute Karol Swiderski saw Poland awarded a penalty following a VAR review.
Lewandowski, on a ridiculous shuffle run-up, saw Maignan save the kick, but the goalkeeper had moved beyond his line. The penalty was re-taken – same run-up – and the Poles were level.
Deschamps, planning good rest before next Monday’s round of 16 match in Dusseldorf, reflected ‘a new competition’ was now starting. ‘You cannot always read a competition just from the group stage. We deserve to be second, I am satisfied.’ It is by no means a unanimous view. France are looking for far fuller ignition.