France and Poland sign the draw pact at Dortmund!

Can a group stage third match with the fate of both teams decided still turn out to be an intense game? Yes indeed! A good example would be day before yesterday evening’s duel between France and Poland. Both France and Poland had something to fight for. While Mbappe’s France fought for the top finish in Group D, Lewandowski’s Poland fought for pride and a good note exit from the tournament.

France, already qualified for the knockout stage and Poland already eliminated from the tournament were playing a game where none had anything to lose. Yet the intensity and passion of the game came as a surprise to many.

France began building their attack from the 4th minute itself while Poland retaliated well within the next minute as Zieliński’s shot tested the French keeper.

Dembélé was lethal for France, as the PSG winger made countless dangerous runs from the right side of the pitch. His cross to Theo Hernandez in the 11th minute was a big moment of scare among the Polish defense.

It was extremely good to see N Golo Kante play in Europe after such a long time. Kante ran like a tireless engine throughout the match, making many football fans wonder if his move to Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad was indeed too early.

Mbappe and Kante combined well, as the former PSG striker made a beautiful pass through the Polish defense to Kante, who unselfishly passed the ball further. It would have been a great scoring opportunity for Les Blues (France’s national football team) had Kante gone for glory himself.

 Biało-Czerwoni (The White and Reds) as the Poland football team is affectionately called, was in no mood however to be the testing sheep for the French. Poland made excellent diagonal runs and were constantly searching for the back of the net.

Polish midfielder Sebastian Szymański, who plays his club football in Turkey for Süper Lig club Fenerbahçe had his shot blocked in the 13th minute of the game as Poland had another decent attempt on goal in the corner that followed the move.

N Golo Kante displayed his prowess as made a lightning-fast dribble followed by an intelligent pass to Dembélé whose shot was blocked in the 18th minute by a super calm Łukasz Skorupski (Polish goalkeeper) who was later awarded as the ‘Player of the match’.

Maybe the FIFA 2022 World Cup Final was just a teaser for the stardom Kylian Mbappe will rise to. Polish midfielder Nicola Zalewski was aware of this and got himself a yellow card by pulling Mbappe’s shirt, perhaps the only way to get the ball off him. Nevertheless, the Real Madrid summer purchase, habitual to such adoration, effortlessly dribbled past the Poland player, despite the face mask affecting his peripheral vision.

The French captain after all was on a dual mission; to make his team the group topper and also get his first goal in the European championships. But the wait continued as Mbappe’s shot toward the right side of the net was saved superbly by Skorupski in the 48th minute and the same fate followed with Mbappe’s grass-cutting shot a minute later. 

The Dortmund stadium was jam-packed with thousands in red, white, and blue jerseys who had so much to sing for. And the fans were rewarded within a few minutes as a desperate attempt to stop Dembélé inside the D resulted in a clear foul for Poland.

The former world champion was in no mood to waste the penalty as he coolly converted the spot kick with Skorupski diving to the left, unable to stop a low-angle shot on the right. Ending his Euro goal drought, Mbappe scored in the 56th minute to give France the lead.

Expecting a clear win, France coach Didier Deschamps put legends Giroud, Griezmann, and young star Camavinga in the game. But with Polish captain Robert Lewandowski still on the field, the party was far from over. His determination almost paid off in the 71st minute as he grabbed the ball single-handedly from the French defender and tucked in a shot just wide of the goal. And fortune rewarded the Polish captain only minutes later as Poland were also awarded a penalty consulting a VAR review by the referee.

While Lewandowski missed the penalty, he was quick to point out that France goalkeeper Mike Maignan had stepped ahead of his line. The re-take saw a similar shot but a different outcome as the Barcelona striker converted the spot-kick without a strain of doubt on his face. This goal made him the only player along with Cristiano Ronaldo to score in four straight European championships.

Poland re-energised themselves with the goal as they tried hard for a win. With a clever one-two pass, Lewandowski beat the French defense but ultimately shot high and wide in the 81st minute of the game. Olivier Giroud too got a chance at goal but his shot was blocked by the Polish defense.

The game ended as a 1-1 draw with France gaining experience in areas to improve ahead of the knockout round and Poland giving their fans a happy moment to cherish in their final game of the tournament. A draw was indeed a good draw for both the teams.