Kylian Mbappe‘s 56th-minute penalty wasn’t enough to help France win Group D at the 2024 UEFA European Championship as Robert Lewandowski‘s penalty gifted Poland a draw as they bowed out of the tournament.
Mbappe, returning to the team after breaking his nose against Austria, remained cool from the spot to open the scoring in the second half after Ousmane Dembele‘s driving run saw him bait the Polish left-back into a foul, giving the referee an easy call to point to the spot.
But their joy, and destiny to top the group, was short lived when Barcelona’s Lewandowski levelled, also from the spot at the second time of asking. His initial penalty was saved by Mike Maignan, but it was all for nothing as he stepped off his line too early.
The officials ordered a retake and the 35-year-old veteran striker got the job done on the repeat by striking the ball in off the post to level the affairs in Germany with 11 minutes of the game to go.
Despite going into half-time at 0-0, it was far from a cagey affair at the BVB Stadion Dortmund with both sides looking for a victory to maximise their chances of progression resulting in 29 shots, but Didier Deschamp’s side failed to find the cutting edge to take control.
So, as France needed to match, or better, the result of either Austria or the Netherlands to top the group, their lack of decisiveness was punished when Marcel Sabitzer‘s late goal in Austria’s 3-2 win against the Dutch saw them top the group ahead of the 2016 champions.
It means the 2022 FIFA World Cup finalists will play the winner of Group E, which could be any one of Romania, Belgium, Slovakia or Ukraine since they’re all tied on three points each with their final games to come.
Poland’s Robert Lewandowski scores from the penalty spot
France’s struggles in front of goal
Through the opening three games of the 2024 European Championship, France haven’t quite looked like the free-scoring force that netted three times in the World Cup Final just 18 months ago.
They have only scored two times at the tournament as Mbappe, Dembele and Anthoine Griezmann struggle to find the goals needed to make them turn into the feared side they are expected to be.
Their only win was a 1-0 victory whilst their following two games have been draws in which their offense has been largely stifled both teams, leaving questions for their odds should they come up against sides such as Spain, Portugal or Germany who seem in good form.
Robert Lewandowski has warned Kylian Mbappe on the struggles of wearing a mask.
This is ahead of their last group game in Dortmund on Tuesday.
France has already qualified for the round of 16 of the tournament, having collected four points from two group fixtures.
A win for Poland, however, would mean that Netherlands would lose their top spot in Group D.
Mbappe is likely to start for France at the Signal Iduna Park after missing out their previous game, being a stalemate with the Netherlands.
Mbappe sustained a bruise to his nose during their opener against Austria.
He could return to the XI, but with a face mask to protect his broken nose.
And Lewandowski, who had once played with a mask on towards the end of the 2014-15 season with Bayern Munich, said it is not an easy thing to do.
As quoted by GOAL, Lewandowski said, “When I had to wear a mask myself, it wasn’t nice. It’s quite annoying, especially in the penalty area, I had problems, I didn’t react, I couldn’t see, my field of vision was hampered… It’s a few milliseconds but it can slow down a player.
“It’s a challenge, it’s not pleasant, but of course a player’s health is more important. For a competition, emotions are very high and everyone wants to play at all costs. I understand the difficulties he faces.”
