France started their EURO2024 campaign with a 1-0 win over Austria in Dusseldorf. An own goal from Maximilian Wöber proved the costly difference as Les Bleus crept away with all three points. Here’s how both sets of players fared:
Austria:
Patrick Pentz – 7
Made three good saves to give Austria every fighting chance of bagging a result.
Stefan Posch – 5.5
Playing against Mbappé is never easy, and doesn’t Posch know it. Had a much better time when defending against Thuram.
Kevin Danso – 5.5
Struggled against a world-class front line. Was decent at times on the ball.
Maximilian Wöber – 3
Directed a brilliant header into his own net, and struggled to contain France’s deadly attack. An evening to forget.
Phillip Mwene – 8
Kept a very talented opponent in Dembélé quiet throughout in what was a brilliant defensive showing.
Nicolas Seiwald – 8
Seven tackles, eight out of nine ground duels won, 92% pass completion. A mature performance from the RB Leipzig man.
Florian Grillitsch – 6
Did little to stand out against a talented French midfield before being substituted at the hour mark.
Konrad Laimer – 6
Got stuck in defensively, but contributed less to the team going forward.
Marcel Sabitzer – 6
Sabitzer tried hard to make things happen, but nothing would stick for the Austria skipper.
Christoph Baumgartner – 7
Was the heartbeat of every single Austrian attack, but his poor attempts at goal proved crucial to the final scoreline.
Michael Gregoritsch – 5
Failed to muster up a single shot at Maignan’s goal in a very quiet display.
Embed from Getty ImagesSubstitutes:
Marko Arnautović – 5
Failed to make any real impact off the bench.
Gernot Trauner – 5
Replaced a struggling Wöber, and was a slight improvement on the Leeds United man.
Patrick Wimmer – 6
Was heavily involved in his 30 minutes on the pitch, but didn’t make enough of an impact to change the game.
Alexander Prass – N/A
France
Mike Maignan – 7
Made multiple big stops, including that huge save to deny Baumgartner in the first half.
Jules Koundé – 6.5
Defended solidly for the most part, but had moments where he looked shaky.
William Saliba – 8
The Arsenal man was calm and collected on the ball and showed why he needs to start for this France side.
Dayot Upamecano – 6
Was the underperformer of France’s back four, though wasn’t particularly a reason for concern.
Théo Hernandez – 8
Equally effective bombing forward as he was tracking back.
N’Golo Kanté – 9
A proper throwback performance from one of the best midfielders of this generation. Controlled the midfield from start to finish.
Adrien Rabiot – 7
Put in a top performance alongside Kanté
Ousmane Dembélé – 5
A disappointing display from the winger, who completed just one of five attempted dribbles.
Antoine Griezmann – 6.5
Worked hard to help those around him, though was slightly sloppy at times on the ball.
Kylian Mbappé – 7
Real Madrid’s newest recruit forced the opener with his tricky feet and dangerous cross, but missed a one-on-one to score his first-ever EURO goal.
Marcus Thuram – 6.5
Largely ineffective going forward for France, but contributed much more significantly through his defensive duties.
Embed from Getty ImagesSubstitutes:
Eduardo Camavinga – 7
Won six duels in his 20-minute stint. Helped maintain control of the midfield after Rabiot’s exit.
Randal Kolo Muani – 6
Was heavily involved off the bench, but didn’t make much of an impact for Deschamps’ side.
Olivier Giroud – N/A
Youssof Fofana – N/A
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