France continued their stuttering start to Euro 2024 knowing that they were already safely through to the round of 16 before kick off against Poland.
A disjointed first half brought no goals in Dortmund despite strong chances for Kylian Mbappe – returned to the starting XI and wearing a mask – Ousmane Dembele and Robert Lewandowski.
The turning point came in the second half with Jakub Kiwior hacking Dembele to the ground inside the penalty area. Mbappe nestled home the spot kick, finally beating the superb Lukasz Skorupski, and gave France the impetus in the game.
However, Les Bleus couldn’t capitalise. Dayot Upamecano gave away a penalty with Lewandowski converting on his second attempt to force a draw in the game.
But how did the individual players perform? Here are The Independent’s ratings for France v Poland:
France
Mike Maignan – 7
Made a few decent stops starting with an early one to deny Piotr Zielinski inside the opening 10 minutes, saved Robert Lewandowski’s first penalty attempt but stepped off the line too early and had to redo it.
Jules Kounde – 6
Found himself high up the pitch more often than not due to France’s control of possession, energetic on the right wing and defensively solid.
Dayot Upamecano – 5
Timed a heavy tackle perfectly on Sebastian Szymanski to show his intent in the game. Strong in the air but arrived late on Karol Swiderski to give away a penalty.
William Saliba – 6
Alongside Upamecano was a beacon of defensive stability dealing with crosses into the box on the rare occasions Poland flourished on the counter-attack.
Theo Hernandez – 7
Could have opened the scoring when arriving at the back post to meet a cross from Ousmane Dembele only to be denied by goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski. Strong and stable in defence, shutting down most of Poland’s moves down their right wing.
Aurelien Tchouameni – 5
Misplaced a few passes and looked slightly off the boil in central midfield early on.
N’Golo Kante – 7
Player of the match in his first two outings at Euro 2024 and displayed similar levels of creativity. Slipped in Dembele for a good chance from the right and controlled France’s transitions with confident composure.
Adrian Rabiot – 6
Collected a yellow card for a foul on Szymanski. Linked up well with Theo Hernandez to propel France up the pitch on the left.
Ousmane Dembele – 7
Like Bradley Barcola, his threat came from his pace and speed on the wing. Could have done better when supplying final passes into the middle but a handy display for Les Bleus.
Kylian Mbappe – 7
Started as a central figure but swiftly moved out to his favoured left side and became a threat. Denied by Skorupski a few times before tucking away the penalty.
Bradley Barcola – 6
Brought into the starting XI to replace Antoine Greizmann. Utilised his pace and sharp footwork to set up chances from the left and performed admirably to give Didier Deschamps a headache for the last-16.
Subs
Antoine Griezmann - 6, Eduardo Camavinga - 6, Olivier Giroud - 6, Youssouf Fofana - n/a, Randal Kolo Munai - n/a.
Poland
Lukasz Skorupski – 9
Denied Theo Hernandez with a fine stop in the 11th minute before standing up and blocking Dembele’s effort a few minutes later. Stopped Mbappe scoring at the near post and had a fantastic night, Poland’s best player.
Jan Bednarek – 6
Focused and stern throughout wanting to keep Barcola quiet. Took a hit off his own goalkeeper but carried on with a slight knock.
Pawel Dawidowicz – 6
The central figure of a back-three system. Calm on the ball playing out from the back and commanding in the air.
Jakub Kiwior – 5
At fault for the penalty with a wild challenge on Dembele which gave France the edge they needed in the game.
Przemyslaw Frankowski – 7
Had limited opportunities to move forward with most of his time spent dealing with the Hernandez-Barcola-Mbappe triangle. Was solid throughout.
Jakub Moder – 6
Had a lot on his plate trying to spur Poland into attack without sacrificing his position to help defend against France’s fast forward line.
Piotr Zielinski – 6
Blazed a long-ranged effort at goal in the first half and tried hard in the middle of the pitch to create chances for Poland.
Nicola Zalewski – 5
Realised early on he had no chance in a race against Mbappe. Took a yellow card to stop the France captain’s counter-attacking run and was hampered from then on.
Sebastian Szymanski – 7
Consistently found at both ends of the pitch depending on the needs of his team. Ran well, worked hard, deserved more.
Kacper Urbanski – 5
Miscued a decent chance from a set piece and picked out the goalkeeper with a scuffed shot into the ground. Shook off a knock to the ankle after Upamecano stood on him.
Robert Lewandowski – 8
Made his first start at Euro 2024 following injury and looked hungry to score. Sent a headed effort wide and missed the target with a snapshot towards the end of the first half but converted the penalty to equalise in the second.
Subs
Karol Swiderski - 8, Michal Skoras - 6.
