France kicked off their Euro 2024 marketing campaign with a 1-0 win over Austria in Group D on account of Max Wober’s personal purpose.
The Leeds United defender nodded previous his personal goalkeeper when attempting to cope with Kylian Mbappe’s cross. Didier Deschamps’ crew had possibilities to increase the benefit however, as with England, one purpose proved sufficient to win it.
Austria got here into the sport having misplaced solely one among their earlier 16 video games and seem revitalised below Ralf Rangnick, embracing his urgent model. It served them nicely for a lot of the primary half and Christoph Baumgartner ought to have opened the scoring.
However France goalkeeper Mike Maignan denied him from point-blank vary and Austria paid the worth instantly. Mbappe obtained to the by-line out on the fitting and Wober might solely flip his cross past his personal keeper and into the web.
The lead on the interval allowed France to play on the counter-attack within the second half and that introduced apparent hazard for Austria. Mbappe ought to have doubled the benefit when he raced clear however might solely measure his shot extensive.
It was a tense finale due to France’s incapacity to search out that second however Austria couldn’t vogue a clear-cut opening. Rangnick will nonetheless fancy their possibilities of getting out of Group D. France, in fact, can have a lot larger aspirations.
Star participant: Kante nonetheless has the outdated magic
There was a second within the eighty fifth minute of the sport when Patrick Wimmer was racing by from deep that it appeared as if Austria would possibly conjure an unlikely equaliser. The remainder of the defence have been crushed however not the magnificent N’Golo Kante.
It was typical of yet one more excellent efficiency by the nice midfielder – typical of the work that he has been placing in all through his stellar profession.
A Premier League winner with Leicester, he repeated the feat with Chelsea and added a Champions League crown. With France, he has already gained the World Cup and on this proof, don’t rule out the European Championship simply but both.
Now 33, many can have questioned what form he was in having been enjoying his soccer within the Saudi Professional League. However the tempo continues to be there and the expertise huge. He retains that capacity to sense hazard and the physicality to do one thing about it.
