DUSSELDORF: France beat Austria 1-0 in their Euro 2024 Group D opener on Monday after Maximilian Wöber’s own goal in the 38th minute settled a fairly even contest, reported German news agency dpa.
France coach Didier Deschamps racked up his 100th win in charge in Dusseldorf as he bids to become the first manager to win the men’s World Cup and the Euros as both a player and coach.
Kylian Mbappé set up the goal but later went off with what could be a broken nose.
Austria, seen as outsiders by some pundits given their strong form under Ralf Rangnick, had lost just one of their previous 16 games.
The Netherlands beat Poland 2-1 in the other group opener on Sunday. The French next face the Dutch on Friday when Austria take on Poland.
N’Golo Kanté started in his first competitive match for France in two years after his club career took him to Saudi Arabia while Mbappé captained Les Bleus at a tournament for the first time.
The World Cup runners-up had the first big chance through the lightning speed Mbappé, but goalkeeper Patrick Pentz turned the effort around the post.
As the intense first half progressed, Christoph Baumgartner nearly scored for Austria. Shortly after, Mbappé weaved to the byline and sent in a cross, which Wöber accidentally deflected into his own net, his body awkwardly positioned. – BERNAMA-dpa
