Mbappe scores first Euro goal as France finishes second in Group D

France superstar Kylian Mbappe returned to action and scored his first Euros goal as Les Bleu were held to a draw by an already-eliminated Poland to finish second in Group D.

France needed all three points to seal the top spot, but that was made impossible by Robert Lewandowski’s 79th-minute penalty. 

The former PSG star, who missed the second game against the Netherlands due to a broken nose, put France in front from the spot 11 minutes into the second half.

In the other game of the group, Ralf Rangnick’s Austria produced a fantastic display to beat the Netherlands 3-2 to top the group, while the Dutch took third place.

The Dutch are expected to be among the best losers with 4 points from three games. 

France will await their round of 16 opponents as they occupy the same half of the draw as Portugal, Spain and Germany.

Mbappe, wearing a protective mask,  ended his wait for a first goal at a European Championships with the opener. 

The referee pointed to the spot when Ousmane Dembele was brought down in the area by Arsenal defender Jakub Kiwior, and Mbappe made no mistake by converting the spot-kick. 

However, the 2018 World Cup winners took their foot off the gas. A clumsy challenge from Dayot Upamecano gifted Lewandowski a golden opportunity to respond with a spot-kick. 

Mike Maignan initially saved Lewandowski’s effort, but it must be retaken because the goalkeeper had encroached off his line. 

The Poland captain made no mistake this time as he slotted into the corner to score for a fourth European Championships.

Mbappe lifted the spirit of thousands of blue shirts inside a scorching hot Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund when he scored in the 56th minute. 

He celebrated his first Euro goal by ripping off his protective mask. 

As it looked as though Deschamps’ side would be coasting towards the top spot in Group D, Poland, which will be jetting home tomorrow after finishing bottom of the group, they had other ideas as they surprised the 2022 World Cup finalists.

Upamecano made the defensive mistake of concedering the penalty leveller with a clumsy tackle that caught Karol Swiderski.

After the leveller, France struggled to create good opportunities to claim the victory despite dominating the match with 58% possession and 19 shots on goal.