Kylian Mbappe scored on his return to France’s starting line-up during the 1-1 draw against Poland in their final Group D match at the 2024 European Championship.
The point helped secure France’s place in the knockout round of the tournament.
Tuesday was Mbappe’s first match since breaking his nose in France’s opening match, a 1-0 win over Austria. Despite being on the bench, he did not play during the 0-0 draw against the Netherlands last Friday.
While France finished group play with one win and two draws from three matches, they dominated possession and fired shot after shot into Poland’s goal. They only broke through early in the second round.
In the 55th minute, Ousmane Dembélé was fouled by Poland’s Jakub Kiwior in the penalty area. Step up was Mbappé, who then beat goalkeeper Łukasz Skorupski to give France the lead.
Mbappe celebrated by taking off the protective mask he will have to wear for the rest of the tournament.
Poland equalized in the 79th minute thanks to Robert Lewandowski’s second chance. His penalty goal came after his first attempt was saved by goalkeeper Mike Maignan. But it was determined that Maignan left the goal line early, forcing a re-kick, which Lewandowski placed home.
While France tops Poland and Austria 3-2, Austria wins Group D and France occupies second place. The Netherlands will finish with 4 points, which will be enough to earn one of the four places awarded to the best third places from the tournament’s six groups.
