France fell to a disappointing draw that means they finish second in Group D at Euro 2024. Check out the best facts, stats and live Opta data with our France vs Poland stats page.
A masked-up Kylian Mbappé was always going to take centre stage.
Even without the broken nose he suffered against Austria and his headline-grabbing race to recover to play a part in the rest of this tournament, he is the biggest name at Euro 2024.
So, adding a Zorro costume to a generational superstar who returned ahead of schedule to lead the line in a game France had to win to have any chance of finishing top of Group B, and you have even more eyes on him than usual.
There was some reason for him to cheer – he finally scored his first ever goal at a European Championship, netting from the penalty spot early in the second half.
But crucially, neither he nor his teammates could find a second to take the game away from their already-eliminated opponents, Poland, who equalised through a spot-kick of their own from their own returning superstar in Robert Lewandowski. The game ended in a draw which, after Austria beat Netherlands 3-2 in Berlin, means France finish second in the group, and will face the runners-up from Group E in Düsseldorf on Monday. They are now on the same side of the draw as Spain, Portugal and Germany.
Most concerningly for the French, though, was the fact that an open-play Euro 2024 goal from one of their own players still eludes them, despite managing 55 touches in the opposition box – the second-highest figure in any Euros match since 1980. Having scored just one goal in their first two matches at Euro 2024 – an own goal from Austria’s Max Wöber – there was a stark need for improvement in attack. There were some bright sparks here and plenty of possession in dangerous areas, but they still haven’t put in a performance that will have the other big sides particularly worried.
Poland, meanwhile, had last week become the first side to be knocked out of Euro 2024. Already guaranteed to finish bottom of the group, they were free to play this one with the shackles off. Frustratingly, it was the first game of the tournament for which captain Lewandowski was fit to start.
The teams traded early chances, and both keepers were forced into smart saves inside the first 20 minutes. Ousmane Dembélé, for whom this was to be a 16th appearance at a major tournament without a goal, and Théo Hernández both should have done better from close range, while at the other end Mike Maignan denied Piotr Zielinski and Kacper Urbanski.
Though Poland showed plenty of attacking intent and retained a threat on the break, France dominated the ball and grew into the game as the first half went on. With Poland camped on the edge of their own area, Mbappé’s electric turn of pace and dribbling in tight spaces proved a predictably lethal weapon.
As the game approached half-time, he worked a couple of one-on-ones with quick combinations to get in on goal, but Lukasz Skorupski denied him on both occasions. Before the game, Mbappé had already attempted more shots without scoring (18) than any France player at the European Championship finals (since at least 1980). With those two misses, he extended his lead at the top of that list, up to 20 failed attempts at the Euros.
That crept up to 21 and then 22 within the first five minutes of the second half. It was starting to feel like, as has been the case so many times before in the European Championship, this wasn’t going to be his day.
Then his luck turned.
Dembélé raced away down the France right and was brought down inside the Poland penalty area by the stray leg of Arsenal centre-back Jakub Kiwior. Mbappé grabbed the ball immediately; there were to be no mind games with the opposition about which player would take this penalty. He despatched from 12 yards with a confidence that showed he had no concerns about whether he would break his Euros duck.
But France weren’t able to build on their lead. Didier Deschamps, perhaps prematurely, chose to make a triple substitution shortly after going ahead, withdrawing Bradley Barcola, Adrien Rabiot and – most crucially – N’Golo Kanté. They looked a completely different team.
Before this game, Kanté had already made more major tournament appearances without losing than any other European player, with France unbeaten in all 16 games he’d played across the European Championship and World Cup (W12 D5). Given what we know about the former Chelsea and Leicester City midfielder, should anyone – not least Deschamps – be surprised that France would look so much less secure without him in the middle of the park?
They withdrew into their shell and were made to pay when a VAR review led to Poland being awarded a penalty. Lewandowski scored at the second attempt after Maignan was adjudged to have come off his line to save the first effort. Poland’s consolation in elimination is having the third player to score in at least four Euros (also Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric). Lewandowski is the only player to have netted at each of the last four editions.
Neither side could find a winner, and worryingly for France it was Poland who looked more likely to score in the final 15 minutes.
Having failed to win their final group stage match at a major tournament for a ninth consecutive tournament – last winning one at the 2006 World Cup – France come away from this one with plenty of questions to answer and plenty of improvements to be made if they are to go deep in the tournament. Some goals in open play would be a good place to start.
Our Opta match centre delivers you all the France vs Poland stats from their Euro 2024 Group D clash in Dortmund.
The match centre below includes team and player stats, expected goals data, passing networks, an Opta chalkboard and more. It gives you everything you need to do your own match analysis.
Underneath the match centre you can find the official Opta stats on the game as well.
France vs Poland: Post-Match Facts
- This is the first time France have failed to win their group at a major international tournament (Euros/World Cup) since Euro 2012, having finished as group winners at each of the previous five such tournaments before Euro 2024.
- Poland remain winless in their last eight UEFA European Championship matches (D4 L4), while they avoided defeat in a game in which they conceded first for just a third time at the Euros (also 1-1 v Russia in 2012 and Spain in 2021).
- This is the first time France have failed to win their group at a major international tournament (Euros/World Cup) since Euro 2012, having finished as group winners at each of the previous five such tournaments before Euro 2024.
- Poland remain winless in their last eight UEFA European Championship matches (D4 L4), while they avoided defeat in a game in which they conceded first for just a third time at the Euros (also 1-1 v Russia in 2012 and Spain in 2021).
- As well as becoming the first France player to score at this year’s UEFA European Championship, Kylian Mbappé netted his first-ever goal at the tournament (6th appearance), with what was his 23rd attempt.
- Poland striker Robert Lewandowski became just the third player to score in four different editions of the UEFA European Championship after Cristiano Ronaldo (5) and Luka Modric (4), while he’s the only player to score at each of the last four Euros (2012, 2016, 2020, 2024).
- Poland have failed to win any of the five games in which Robert Lewandowski has scored at the UEFA European Championship (D4 L1), the most games a player has scored in while failing to win in the competition’s history.
- Kylian Mbappé netted his 13th goal for France at major international tournaments (1 at the Euros, 12 at the World Cup), with only Michel Platini netting more for Les Bleus in the two competitions combined (14).
- France had 55 touches in Poland’s penalty area in this match – only England against Denmark in Euro 2020 (56) has a side had more touches in the opposition box on record (since 1980) in a game at the UEFA European Championship.
- France midfielder N’Golo Kanté has lost none of his 11 games at the UEFA European Championship (W6 D5), the joint most appearances made by a player in the tournaments history without ever ending on the losing side (level with Spain’s Xavi – W8 D3).
- Antoine Griezmann made his 33rd appearance for France at a major international tournament this evening (Euros/World Cup), with only goalkeeper Hugo Lloris (35) playing more games for Les Bleus in the two competitions combined.
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