In a 1-0 victory that was overshadowed by France skipper Kylian Mbappé sustaining a facial injury that leaves his availability uncertain for the next Group D clash with current table toppers, the Netherlands, manager Didier Deschamps spoke candidly of his team’s performance, dubbing the final result as ‘satisfying’.
What did Didier Deschamps say?
France, who are joint tournament favourites with England, replicated the Three Lions’ 1-0 victory, thanks to an Mbappé cut-back cross from the byline was headed into a gaping goal by Austrian defender Maximilian Wöber – though an argument could be made that they should have scored more.
“It’s never easy to get a win against a team that has athletic qualities and puts a lot of pressure on,” Deschamps said when addressing the media. “We could have dealt with certain situations better on the first or second ball, but overall we performed well. We had quality as well as talent, and there was good solidarity among the players. We need to keep that up. I’m satisfied with this opening win.”
With his 100th win as manager of France, Deschamps – who captained his side to EURO2000 victory – is now responsible for 22% of all victories in Les Bleus’ rich history.
But prior to the game, one key talking point was the perhaps surprise inclusion of William Saliba, who got the nod over Liverpool’s Ibrahim Konaté. Based on the Arsenal defensive talisman’s season, there is little argument that he was deserving of a starting role, but he had not been favoured by Deschamps much internationally.
When asked about his decision to start the 23-year-old in the back line alongside Dayot Upamecano, Deschamps was honest in saying that he felt Saliba was more suited to this type of match: “Sometimes the hierarchy in the squad evolves. If tonight I put Saliba on the pitch, it’s because I decided he’s better than Ibrahim Konaté for this type of match. But I don’t want to lose any players along the way.”
It turned out to be a rewarding move in the end, with the defender racking up a 94% pass accuracy, while he won 100% of his ground duels, had a 100% success rate in his dribbles, and also made six clearances to go with his clean sheet in a dominant major tournament debut display.
During the game, though, the narrative shifted and focused on one man and one man only: Kylian Mbappé. After going in for a header in the penalty box after a free kick, the captain took a blow to the face, with his head making contact with Kevin Danso’s shoulder. It became apparent almost instantly that he was going to require further treatment after the game.
While Deschamps couldn’t offer any medical information, due to having been busy making the media rounds, he did say: “[Kylian] is not doing well. I can’t say more because I’ve had media duties, but his nose is not good. It’s complicated. That’s the black mark from this evening.”
“I’m not going to go into hypothesis but the French team with Kylian will always be stronger with him. If the news doesn’t go along these lines, then we will have to fight without him.”
It was later confirmed that he had indeed suffered a broken nose, and that he is set to undergo surgery in Germany. Whether that keeps him out of a couple of games or so, still remains to be seen.
What did N’Golo Kanté say?
Perhaps the most positive thing to come out of the end-to-end match was that 33-year-old N’Golo Kanté still has that engine.
Having put in a performance worthy of picking up the game’s man of the match award, he showed that despite a move to Saudi Arabia, he still had everything in his locker to keep up with the fast pace and intensity of international tournament football.
What made his performance even more impressive was that this was his first return to the France squad since June 2022, but as always, when probed about his own performance, the Frenchman remained humble and praised the rest of his team.
“There was some apprehension, but it was nice to start together and get those feelings back,” Kanté said. “It all went great. We’re human – we fight together for the result and we’ll keep doing that.”
The 33-year-old also achieved a personal goal when he took over the captain’s armband in the latter stages of the game after Mbappé’s substitution. Though it lasted mere minutes, Kanté still felt very proud: “It was the first time I got to wear the France armband. It was an honour, though it was only for a few moments. I’m very proud of that.”
Follow reaction to France’s narrow victory, and every other game of EURO2024, here on FromTheSpot.