Kylian Mbappe’s return fails to mask France shortcomings at Euro 2024

DORTMUND – The welcome sight of the masked Kylian Mbappe back on the pitch could not disguise another under-par performance from France at Euro 2024, which raises questions about their chances of winning the competition.

Les Bleus are through to the last 16 after emerging unbeaten from the group stage, but their 1-1 draw with Poland in Dortmund on June 25 meant they finished second in Group D behind Austria.

Ironically, Austria are the only team the French have beaten so far in the competition, as they followed their 1-0 victory over Ralf Rangnick’s men with a 0-0 stalemate against the Netherlands before the drab draw with the group’s bottom side.

Didier Deschamps’ men scored 16 goals in seven matches at the 2022 World Cup, then netted 29 in eight qualifiers for the European Championship, albeit 17 of those came against Gibraltar.

However, they have failed to score a single goal in open play so far at this tournament, beating Austria thanks to an own goal before Mbappe’s penalty against Poland.

Their lack of goals is a concern for their coach.

“We need to score more goals, we need to be more clinical, and I am looking for that,” Deschamps said.

“We can improve... We need to hit them where it hurts but we have always had a goal average that is quite impressive, for these three games it hasn’t quite been there.

“But I am positive, I am always positive. It is a new competition starting for us.”

Midfielder Eduardo Camavinga shared the same sentiments, adding: “I have full confidence in our attackers. We need them, and they have always shown up in the past.”

There are consequences for not scoring and not winning, as France now find themselves in what looks to be the wrong half of a lopsided draw in the knockout rounds.

Next up is a tie on July 1 in Dusseldorf, scene of Mbappe’s broken nose against Austria.

That match will be against the runners-up in a tight Group E, who could be Belgium, Romania, Slovakia or Ukraine. The Group E results on June 26 were not available at press time.

However, the path to the final looks especially murky after that, with the possibility of a quarter-final against Portugal and then a potential last-four tie against Spain or Germany.

France have been the best European team at the last two World Cups, winning the trophy in 2018 and losing on penalties to Argentina in the final 18 months ago.

But they do not look like the best side on the continent now, which is a problem for a nation hoping to win the European Championship for the third time, and first since 2000.

Mbappe returned against Poland after missing the Netherlands match due to his broken nose.

Playing with a protective face mask, he converted a second-half penalty for his first goal at a Euro.

But it was not enough to beat Poland as Robert Lewandowski replied with a spot kick of his own.

At the other end, France can go forward into the knockout rounds in the knowledge that their defence looks secure, with Lewandowski’s penalty the only goal they have conceded so far.

“The team spirit is there, so is the (defensive) solidity, and we are creating chances,” added Deschamps.

“Maybe other teams have shown greater potential, and the fact we are not scoring goals has limited us. But now we can have a little break which will do us good, and then we move on to the last 16.”

For France to keep going from here, though, Deschamps will notably need to get Antoine Griezmann back playing at his best – the forward with 132 caps was dropped against Poland, which is a rarity.

And he will especially be hoping that his team start scoring, as captain Mbappe gets used to his mask and attempts to lead the team through the critical stages. REUTERS, AFP