Kylian Mbappe of France celebrates after scoring a penalty kick during their Group D match against Poland at the Euro 2024 tournament | Photo: AP
Dortmund: Kylian Mbappé scored from the penalty spot on his comeback after breaking his nose, but France conceded a spot kick by Robert Lewandowski in a 1-1 draw with Poland on Tuesday at the European Championship.
Following his first-ever goal at a European Championship in the 56th minute, Mbappé took off his protective mask to celebrate in front of the French supporters.
It was insufficient, though, to guarantee his team's top spot in Group D at Euro 2024.
Mike Maignan, the goalkeeper for France, stopped Lewandowski's penalty kick in the 77th minute, who was adjudged to have come off his line. On his second try, the Poland attacker struck the bottom corner.
After finishing behind Austria in the group, France will face the winner of Group E—possibly Belgium, Romania, Slovakia, or Ukraine—in the round of sixteen on July 1.
After defeating Austria 1-0 on an own goal and drawing 0-0 with the Netherlands, when Mbappé was absent due to a broken nose, France is yet to score an open-play goal at Euro 2024, AP reported.
With Poland in the last position having already been eliminated before the game started, Mbappé made a comeback to the starting lineup, albeit with a mask on that restricted his peripheral vision. He mostly avoided physical challenges and refrained from competing for the ball in midair.
Even so, Mbappé continued to be France's most potent striker, and after Ousmane Dembele was tripped in the vicinity, he finally scored his first goal in six tournament games (four at Euro 2020 and two at Euro 2024).
Mbappé played the entire match, beginning as a centre striker and finishing on the left wing. It was another lacklustre performance from France- a two-time European champion and 2022 World Cup runner-up.