France secures narrow victory over Austria in Euro 2024 opener

The French national football team began their Euro 2024 campaign with a match against Austria. Despite not fully controlling the game, Didier Deschamps’ team secured a vital victory.

In Group D, where the Netherlands already defeated Poland, France and Austria were determined not to let Ronald Koeman’s men pull ahead after the first match day.

The match started evenly, with both teams appearing equally matched. The first significant chance came from Kylian Mbappé, but his shot was saved by the Austrian goalkeeper.

Austria adopted an aggressive strategy, committing 11 fouls and receiving two yellow cards.

Despite this, France opened the scoring in the 38th minute when Kylian Mbappé’s cross led to an own goal by Austrian defender Maximilian Wöber.

The score remained 1-0 at halftime.

The second half saw a similar pattern, with both teams waiting for mistakes. Mbappé missed a clear chance to make it 2-0 in the 55th minute.

Austria tried to equalize but failed to break through the French defense. Late in the match, Mbappé was injured.

France’s 1-0 victory means they join the Netherlands at the top of Group D. The next matches in the group will see France face the Netherlands and Poland take on Austria.