A masked Kylian Mbappe scored his first-ever Euros goal, but France were held to a draw by an already-eliminated Poland, finishing second in Group D.
France needed all three points to secure the top spot, but Robert Lewandowski’s 79th-minute penalty canceled out Mbappe’s spot-kick from 11 minutes into the second half.
Ralf Rangnick’s Austria delivered a fantastic performance to beat the Netherlands 3-2, claiming the top spot in the group, while the Dutch secured third place.
France, now occupying the same half of the draw as Portugal, Spain, and Germany, will face the runner-up in Group E.
Returning to the starting lineup with a protective mask after a broken nose, Mbappe scored his first goal at a European Championship with the opener.
Ousmane Dembele was brought down in the area by Poland and Arsenal defender Jakub Kiwior, and Mbappe made no mistake from the spot.
However, France eased off, and a clumsy challenge from Dayot Upamecano gave Lewandowski a golden opportunity to equalize with a penalty.
Mike Maignan initially saved Lewandowski’s effort, but the goalkeeper had encroached off his line, necessitating a retake.
The Poland captain slotted the ball into the corner, scoring in his fourth European Championship, joining Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric in achieving this feat.
France struggling to hit top form
The thousands of blue shirts inside a scorching Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund finally witnessed a Frenchman scoring for their side when Kylian Mbappe netted in the 56th minute.
The French captain tore off his protective mask to celebrate his 48th goal for his country, giving the impression that Deschamps’ side was on track to top Group D.
However, Poland, who finished at the bottom of the group and are set to return home tomorrow, had other plans and managed to surprise the 2022 World Cup finalists.
Upamecano, who has spent much of Bayern Munich’s season on the bench, made a defensive error that led to the penalty equalizer with a clumsy tackle on Karol Swiderski.
After a stuttering run-up, Lewandowski’s initial attempt was saved by Maignan, but the goalkeeper had stepped off his line too early, allowing Lewandowski to score on the retake into the same corner.
Despite dominating the match with 58% possession and 19 shots on goal, France struggled to create clear opportunities to secure the victory.
Lukasz Skorupski performed well in the Polish goal, and as a result, Deschamps’ men enter the knockout stage having scored only twice—one of which was an own goal—in their three group games.
France is heavily reliant on Mbappe, who is now just one goal behind Michel Platini’s French record of 14 goals in major tournaments. However, he needs more attacking support for the team to advance further.
The talented Dembele occasionally posed a threat on the right of the front three but has yet to score for his nation in a major tournament.
Deschamps will recognize that his side must quickly find their form if they are to succeed in Germany.
Player of the match: J. Moder