France sweats to beat Austria on debut | Relief

The Mercur-Spiel Arena in Düsseldorf was packed and all eyes were on Kylian Mbappe.. The new Real Madrid man, who has played 80 games for the Blues, is pure electricity and any move, no matter where it comes from, is a direct knife to the opponent’s gut.

It didn’t take him long to prove it. Eight minutes into the game, Rabiot allowed the French captain to go into space and He reached the spot to perform a powerful low kick.. It could have been his first goal at the European Championships, but Pentz missed the chance.

The first 10 minutes predicted a barrage from the French team, but further from reality the game was balanced.. Ralf Rangnick’s formation with five defensive midfielders made it impossible for the French to attack. A rock approach based on a low defensive block is the best way to protect Didier Deschamps’ team.

Nothing came of it for France. The fact that their most distinctive player in attack was Theo Hernandez at left-back explains Les Bleus’ lack of attack. Griezmann, who was very far from the penalty area, did not appear. The same happened with Marcus Thuram, who had a good draw thanks to Weber and Danso. In the right sector, Ousmane Dembele had a special fateful night. The Austrian trainer developed a plan that blocked the Gauls.

Austria waited in hiding to strike back.. And they were close to it. By thirty minutes of the first period, the team led by Rangnick had practically silenced the French sector of the stadium. The Lymer Center, which Saliba had miscalculated and raised doubts about several moves, became a clear opportunity for Baumagartner vs. Maignan. The Milan goalkeeper did a brilliant job, saving the midfielder in tenths of a second. and managed to deflect his shot.

The Austrian team was comfortable on the field. France, for its part, seemed sleepy, its head more focused on all the media noise about the country’s upcoming elections than on the party. But France has Mbappe. The French No. 10 fell to the right flank, where Dembele was not a danger, and opened a jar of essences. A bicycle almost invisible to the human eyeat supersonic speed, left Mwene behind. He reached the baseline, passed the ball behind his back and headed it to Weber, who scored an own goal.. The Gauls don’t need more. In Mbappe they have the biggest differential talent in the world and in the blink of an eye, after a poor first half, France went into the break with the score 0-1 on the scoreboard. Austria could not believe it, Mbappe destroyed the defensive structure created by Rangnick.

The second period started hard. The clash between Weber, who was present at all important moments of the match, and Griezmann. ended with the Atlético Madrid striker printed on the billboard.. When he stood up, angry at the whole world, 7 French stood up with a small gap on his face. Griezmann returned to the pitch with a bulky bandage that didn’t last even 10 seconds.

After that, Austria put pressure on France, who have never been good at defending on the ball. And there’s no need. Opponents play with a double-edged sword when they dominate the ball against France. You are the master of the ball, but defeat condemns you. In the 10th minute of the second half, Thuram sent a long pass behind Weber. The Austrian centre-back started with the lead, but a gazelle named Kylian Mbappe emerged.. The Frenchman’s speed, worthy of an athlete, allowed him to meet Pentz. The entire French sector was singing for a goal, but their captain missed.. In his internal fight for the Eurocup, the Real Madrid player scored 99 times out of 100. The jinx at the European tournament continues: no goals in five matches.

The result of the match forced Rangnick to move the bench. Say goodbye to five holding midfielders to provide more dynamism with a pacey striker like Wimmer. In addition, the former Manchester United coach invited such a country legend as Marko Arnautovic to the team. The changes did not have much effect and the French team completely won the match with N’Golo Kante, who multiplied his 30 lungs and showed that he was far from finished.. Double opportunity: Theo’s cross, which Griezmann caught, and the Inter striker’s shot, which Pentz saved. France felt comfortable, and Austria was close to knockout.

Didier Deschamps will also make changes. Dembele, in one of his desperate games, and Adrien Rabiot brought Kolo Muani and Eduardo Camavinga onto the field.. The Real Madrid midfielder plays a less leading role than under Carlo Ancelotti, but his energy is always noticeable. Looks like Theo Hernandez. The Milan defender, who was little compromised defensively by the Austrian attackers, was a dagger throughout the match and was one of the standouts.

A good game that almost ended in tragedy after a mistake in serving the ball, which Austria almost took advantage of. He stole Wimmer, who immediately allowed Baumgartner. The RB Leipzig midfielder, as in the first period, did not have the best control. He tried to reach the skin and threw himself to the ground, colliding with Maignan.. Once again, the French goalkeeper saved his team, albeit with a curious bump on his face.

Kylian Mbappe also received a heavy blow.. The Real Madrid striker hit his head on Danso’s shoulder. The image was very difficult. The guy is lying on the grass with his nose full of blood. He will have to receive medical attention and replace him with Giroud, with a display at half-time to throw himself to the ground. It was a bittersweet victory, Deschamps’ 100th as coach, for France, which is on edge over what will happen to Mbappe’s nose..

Data sheet

Austria: Pentz; Posch, Danso, Weber (Trawner 59′), Mwene (Prass 88′); Laimer, Seywald, Grillitsch (Wimmer, 59 minutes), Baumgartner; Sabitzer; Gregoric (Arnautovic, 59′)

France: Maignan; Kunde, Upamecano, Saliba, Theo Hernandez; Rabiot (Camavinga, 70 minutes), Kante; Dembele (Kolo Muani, 70′), Griezmann (Fofana, 90′), Thuram; Mbappe (Giroud, 90′)

Referee: Gil Manzano (Spain). Yellow cards for Weber (16 minutes), Mvene (33 minutes), Dembele (56 minutes), Laimer (84 minutes) and Mbappe (89 minutes).

Goals: 0:1 Weber with very good points. (38 min.)

Stadium: Mercur-Spiel Arena (Dusseldorf)