France ventured into their final group game against Poland. Le Blues had already secured qualification into the round of 16. Alongside the Netherlands, they were able to grind out four points, in their last two matches. This guaranteed them and the Dutch a spot in the knockout stage.
France had their captain Kylian Mbappe back into the starting lineup after a nose injury. He also joined the likes of Bradley Barcola. The team benched their experienced creative specialist Griezmann.
Poland, having lost their two previous games, needed a win against France to guarantee a possibility of being the best loser. However, it would almost be an impossible task to defeat the European giants.
France Held to a Draw: First Half
The French started their game against Poland in a more relaxed manner. France was in no hurry to get the ball at the back of the net. However, they maintained possession. Poland on the other hand showed urgency in trying to secure the ball.
France got stripped of possession a couple of times. Moreover, their heavy counter pressing from Kante and Tchouameni kept the possession within their reach. The men in blue had some close chances from Dembele. The PSG star failed to slot in a one-on-one. The rebound found Kante who had a one-time opportunity to find the net. But he waited too long and lost the ball
Robert Lewandoski could have given Poland the lead with a free header. But he missed the target.
The game was scoreless at the half.
France Held to a Draw: Second Half
The pressure from France intensified. Dembele, Barcola, and Mbappe troubled the Polish defense. Saves from Skorupski and a great defensive display kept the game at bay. Barcola had a chance denied by Skorupski after a darting run into the box.
Soon a clumsy foul on Dembele from Kiwior in the box led to a penalty call against Poland. Mbappe stepped in and slotted in his first Euros goal and France took the lead. Deschamp brought in the likes of Griezmann, Camavinga, and Giroud to stabilize the game.
Poland looked to strike back, but they lacked the cutting edge. France also came across a couple of opportunities, from Mbappe. However, he lacked the clinical touch.
Poland had some bursts of attacking runs forward. A pass was directed to Swiderski. Upamecano misread it and then struck Swiderski’s leg. This fell him inside the French 18-yard box. A penalty was given after a VAR check.
Lewandowski took the penalty but was saved by Maignan. Moreover, Maignan had stepped passed his line Robert was asked for a retake. This time he scored. The equalizer gave Poland the confidence to try and find a winner. But they couldn’t secure one till the game ended.
Deschamps Assessment of the Game
We will be ready for the round of 16,” the France coach said. “It is a new competition that is starting. You cannot always read a competition just from the group stage. We deserve to be second, and I am satisfied.
“Now it [the competition] is going to be a little bit more down to the wire; now we’ve only got the big teams but that is the name of the game. I would be a lot more concerned if we were not creating chances but there is room for improvement. It is a new competition that is starting for us and it will start on 1 July.”
“Kylian, despite everything that he has gone through, I thought he was quite good on his feet,” Deschamps said “He needed to get used to it even though when he sweats it stings his eyes, he needed to wipe his eyes. But he is hungry to play and the game will have done him some good.”
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Ifeoluwa King is a lover of football and also a sports enthusiast. He’s been a football fan for 20 years. Pick any topic in the world of football and sports, and you’ll find him there. For more information about him and more of his awesome content, you can visit his X (Twitter) handle: @kng7.
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