France 1-1 Poland: Mbappe on target but Lewandowski penalty denies France victory

France was unable to secure a victory against Poland in their first-ever UEFA European Championship encounter, settling for a 1-1 draw in Dortmund.

Despite ending their group stage campaign with a 1-1 draw against Poland, Deschamps believes that the knockout rounds will provide a fresh start for his side. France secured second place in Group D with five points, trailing surprise leaders Austria.

They have now advanced to the last 16, where they will face the runners-up from Group E, consisting of Romania, Belgium, Slovakia, and Ukraine, all of whom have three points each.

France began their campaign with a 1-0 victory over Austria, thanks to an own goal.

However, they struggled to find the back of the net in a goalless draw against the Netherlands and their recent draw against Poland, where Kylian Mbappe scored from a penalty.

Deschamps is concerned about their lack of goals and hopes that they can regain the impressive scoring form they displayed during the qualifying matches.

Deschamps emphasized the need for his team to be more clinical and score more goals. He remains positive and believes that they can improve as they enter a new phase of the competition.

In their match against Poland, France took the lead through Mbappe's penalty after Ousmane Dembele was fouled in the penalty area.

This goal marked Mbappe's first European Championship goal since returning to the team wearing a face mask after breaking his nose in the opening match against Austria.

Mbappe displayed great assurance as he successfully scored his inaugural goal at the European Championship, finding the back of the net after attempting 23 shots – a remarkable feat surpassing any other Les Bleus player since 1980.

Nevertheless, a sudden turn of events occurred in the last 15 minutes of the match when Poland was awarded a penalty. The Italian referee utilized VAR to review a foul committed against Karol Swiderski.

Mike Maignan successfully blocked Lewandowski's initial shot but was penalized for stepping off his line.

However, Lewandowski made no mistake with his second attempt, finding the bottom left corner and equalizing the score.

This achievement makes him the only player to have scored in each of the last four Euro tournaments.

Despite not securing a victory in their nine encounters with France since 1982, Poland can take pride in their performance and return home with their heads held high.

France will be disappointed for relinquishing their lead and missing the opportunity to finish as group leaders. Nevertheless, their unbeaten streak extends to six consecutive games.