France has got precisely the start they wished for in the European Championship, but it was not one of the stars in “Les bleus” who secured the 1–0 victory.
Instead, it was Austria's Maximilian Wöber who headed in the decider – in his own goal.
France, with stars like Kylian Mbappé and Antoine Griezmann in the squad, is one of the top favourites to become European Champions in football.
In the opening match against Austria, however, it was not one of the giants who stepped forward to score for their France.
Instead, it required the help of an Austrian defender to win the match.
Maximilian Wöber became an unfortunate French hero after heading in the 0–1 own goal in the end of the first half, as Mbappé sent the ball in front of the Austrian goal and the centre-back attempted a clearance.
"A relief and joy"
France pushed for an extension in the second half, but Austria's defence stood firm against wave after wave of French attacks, and the match ended 1–0.
It's a relief, but also joy over what the players did, even though we had the chance to score more goals, says French national team coach Didier Deschamps after the victory.
For Mbappé, the match had an unfortunate ending. The star collided with Austrian defender Kevin Danso in an aerial duel and started bleeding heavily in the face. According to French media, he may have broken his nose.
Received a yellow card
His nose is not at all good... it's obviously the bad part of this match. It's very worrying for us, says Deschamps.
As if that were not enough, Mbappé received a yellow card for re-entering the pitch after receiving medical treatment for the bleeding – without the referee's permission.
For both teams, the European Championship continues on Midsummer Eve. Then, Austria will meet Poland, while France will face the Netherlands.
