Euro 2024: Mbappé Scores as France Secures Second Place in Group D with 1-1 Draw Against Poland

Kylian Mbappé marked his return to France's starting lineup by scoring in their 1-1 draw with Poland in the final Group D match of Euro 2024, ensuring France's progression to the knockout rounds.

This match was Mbappé's first appearance since suffering a broken nose in France's opening 1-0 victory over Austria. Although he was included on the bench during the subsequent 0-0 draw against the Netherlands, he did not feature in that game.

France concluded the group stage with one win and two draws from three matches. They dominated possession against Poland, consistently pressuring the Polish goal. Their persistence paid off early in the second half.

In the 55th minute, Ousmane Dembélé was fouled in the penalty area by Poland's Jakub Kiwior. Mbappé stepped up to take the resulting penalty and successfully converted it, beating goalkeeper Łukasz Skorupski to give France the lead. Mbappé celebrated by removing the protective mask he is required to wear for the remainder of the tournament.

Poland equalized in the 79th minute. Robert Lewandowski scored on his second attempt from the penalty spot after his initial shot was saved by French goalkeeper Mike Maignan. However, it was ruled that Maignan had moved off the goal line early, necessitating a retake, which Lewandowski converted.

With this draw and Austria's 3-2 victory over the Netherlands, Austria topped Group D, while France secured second place. The Netherlands finished with four points, enough to secure one of the four spots allocated to the best third-place teams from the six groups in the tournament.