Uninspiring France Second in Group D, Austria Stun Netherlands
*Belgium, Ukraine, others battle for Round of 16 live on GOtv
A Kylian Mbappé penalty was cancelled out by Robert Lewandowski’s spot kick as already-eliminated Poland held France to a 1-1 draw in Dortmund on Tuesday, meaning the French finish second in Group D.
Elsewhere in the group, Austria produced a hugely impressive performance that will make others take notice at Euro 2024 as they beat the Netherlands 3-2 to progress to the last 16 as Group D winners.
Despite being handed a tough draw with the Dutch and France, Ralf Rangnick’s side won two of their three games to finish top of the standings.
The Netherlands had already guaranteed their progression to the last 16 but they will now go through as one of the best third-placed sides.
Mbappé broke the deadlock in the 56th minute with his first European Championship goal — and the first scored by a French player at Euro 2024 — when he calmly slotted home a penalty given for Jakub Kiwior’s clumsy challenge on Ousmane Dembélé.
But Dayot Upamecano brought down Polish substitute Karol Swiderksi, which allowed Lewandowski to level from the spot in the 79th minute — after his first effort was saved by Mike Maignan, who was adjudged to have advanced off his line too early.
The draw means France finish second in Group D behind Austria and will face whoever comes second in Group E, where Romania, Belgium, Slovakia and Ukraine are all on three points.
It is the first time France have failed to finish top of their group at a major tournament in 12 years under manager Didier Deschamps.
It was another uninspired performance by France, who lacked imagination from top to bottom. They dominated possession but were denied by Poland’s excellent goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski who made a string of decent saves to deny Mbappé, Theo Hernández, Ousmane Dembélé and Bradley Barcola´s close-range efforts.
Meanwhile, the quartet of Romania, Belgium, Slovakia and Ukraine will grapple for victory today to earn a coveted slot in the Round of 16 of the ongoing Euro 2024 tournament. The matches will be broadcast on GOtv.
Each of these teams is tied on three points each in Group E having recorded a win and loss in their first two games in the group.
Romania commenced their campaign with a 3-0 victory over Ukraine, while Belgium slumped to a 0-1 defeat against Slovakia. The Red Devils redeemed their image with a 2-0 victory over Romania in the second game, while Ukraine earned their first three points in a 1-0 win over Slovakia.
The final round of games in the group will see Slovakia take on Romania on GO Select 2 (ch 64), while Ukraine and Belgium will clash on GO Football (ch 61) simultaneously at 5 pm.
In Group F, the trio of Turkiye, Czech and Georgia will be jostling to join Portugal in the Round of 16. Portugal’s bid for a second Euro title got off to a blistering start as they opened their campaign with a 2-1 victory over Czech and then followed it up with a 0-3 victory over Turkey.
Roberto Martinez’s men will aim to make it three wins in three when they take on Georgia on GO Football (ch 61), while Czech and Turkey will go head-to-head on GO Select 2 (ch 64) simultaneously at 8 pm.
RESULTS
France 1-1 Poland
Netherlands 2-3 Austria
Denmark 0-0 Serbia
England 0-0 Slovenia
TODAY
Slovakia v Romania
Ukraine v Belgium
Czech v Turkey
Georgia v Portugal
