France got exactly the start they wanted in the football European Championship, but it was none of the stars of “Les bleus” who arranged the 1-0 victory.
Instead, it was Austria’s Maximilian Wöber who headed in the winner – in his own goal.
France, with football stars such as Kylian Mbappé and Antoine Griezmann in the squad, is one of the big favorites to become European football champions.
In the opening match against Austria, however, none of the giants were allowed to step forward for their France.
Instead, it required the help of an Austrian defender to be able to win the match.
Maximilian Wöber became the unlucky French hero after he headed in a 0-1 own goal at the end of the first half, after Mbappé sent the ball in front of the Austrian goal and the centre-back attempted a clearance.
France were on for an extension in the second half, but Austria’s defense withstood wave after wave of French attacks and the game ended 1–0.
Bloody Mbappé was replaced
For Mbappé, the match had an unfortunate end. The star collided with Austria defender Kevin Danso in a head duel and started bleeding profusely in the face.
As if that wasn’t enough, Mbappé picked up a yellow card for re-entering the pitch after receiving medical treatment for the bloodshed – without getting the referee’s approval.
For the two teams, who are in group D, the football EC continues on Midsummer Eve. Austria will then face Poland, while France will face the Netherlands.