Austria and France kicked off their EURO2024 campaigns with a closely fought encounter at the Düsseldorf Arena.
Maximilian Wöber’s header into his own net was the only goal of an intriguing match-up between favourites and dark horses. Austria’s best chance of the evening fell for Christoph Baumgartner who failed to convert past Mike Maignan in net.
Here are five things we learnt from this evening’s match:
N’Golo Kanté has still got it
This immense N’Golo Kanté display is all the proof you need that he is far from a finished player. With the 33-year-old currently playing his football for Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad, his status as one of the best midfielders in the world has faded. His masterclass against Austria, though, showed that Kanté still has what it takes to dominate matches on the very biggest stages.
Embed from Getty ImagesHe makes his role look so effortless. As the saying goes, ‘Water covers 71% of the Earth, and N’Golo Kanté covers the rest.” If the ex-Leicester and Chelsea man made a return to one of Europe’s top-five leagues, he would stand right back in with the world’s best.
His midfield partner wasn’t too shabby, either. Many are often sceptical of Didier Deschamps’ love for Adrien Rabiot, with the Juventus man being favoured over Real Madrid stars Eduardo Camavinga and Aurélien Tchouaméni. He proved his worth tonight though, complementing the grit and feist of Kanté with his marauding runs and ambitious play. This midfield is up right there amongst the best of the competition.
William Saliba has to keep starting for France
Heading into this summer’s tournament, questions were raised over the involvement of Arsenal centre-back William Saliba. The rumours suggested that the 23-year-old was out of favour with Deschamps and wouldn’t start for France, with preference for a partnership of Dayot Upamecano and Ibrahima Konaté. Despite all of the talk, though, Saliba started the match and showed why he simply must continue to do so.
The term ‘Rolls Royce’ gets thrown around a lot in football nowadays, and there are very few players that I feel fit the bill, but Saliba is one of them; he just makes everything look so easy. His elegance on the ball combined with his strength and physical prowess make his playing style a perfect blend of old meeting new.
Deschamps may be utilising Saliba on his weaker left side, but if that’s how he’ll make his way into this side, then it must continue.
Ragnick’s side have what it takes to escape a tough group
They may not have won the match, but Austria’s spirited performance sent a clear message to all onlookers: they won’t go down without a fight.
Ralf Ragnick has this team playing some seriously impressive stuff, particularly in terms of their suffocating high press. The system requires forward players to put in the hard graft and work as a collective, and every single player knows their role and exactly what to do.
Christoph Baumgartner, for example, may have missed crucial chances to earn Austria a mightily valuable point in Germany, but boy did he work hard to make things happen. The spirit is more than there for Das Team – can they pull off an upset and escape a difficult group?
Embed from Getty ImagesNicolas Seiwald is a serious talent
I was unaware of the talent of Nicolas Seiwald until he signed for Real Madrid on my Football Manager 24 save and became one of their very best players. It’s not your typical way to discover a player, but from time to time, video games know what they’re doing.
What a performance from the 23-year-old. Not many players out-tackle N’Golo Kanté, but a whopping eight to Seiwald’s name showed Europe what he is about. The RB Leipzig midfielder was far and away Austria’s best player, and will be absolutely crucial to the remainder of their campaign. More performances like that, and escaping the group is well within the realms of possibility.
France might have to find a way without their talisman
They may have come away with all three points, but it was far from a perfect evening for France. Kylian Mbappé’s gory nose injury could yet surgery and may see the 25-year-old out of action for an undefined amount of time.
Embed from Getty ImagesFrance’s only goal of the game came from his brilliant play down the right-hand side and although he missed a chance of his own to double the scoring, Mbappé was Les Bleus biggest threat by a country mile. If he is to miss multiple matches this summer, Deschamps’ side need to find an effective plan B.
Marcus Thuram was, for the most part, ineffective for France this evening, as was winger Ousmane Dembélé. Antoine Griezmann wasn’t his usual devastating self, and substitute Randal Kolo Muani failed to impact the game during his 30-minute cameo. Whether it’s the latter who plays in Mbappé’s place or experienced striker Olivier Giroud, they will have ginormous boots to fill. Pressure’s on.
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