France secured a winning start at the 2024 European Championship following a 1-0 victory over Austria on Monday evening.
Les Bleus were able to call on captain Kylian Mbappe who was a doubt for the clash due to flu , while the Austrian outfit missed star man David Alaba courtesy of an injury.
Not a lot was made out between the two outfits during the opening stages, with Les Blues using Mbappe as an outlet whereas Austria were keen to stay compact all round.
There were nervous signs for Les Blues though, and in that needed goalkeeper Mike Maignan to thwart Christoph Baumgartner from point-blank range.
No focus was lost by the 2016 runners-up who took the lead eight minutes before halftime when a surging cross to the near post saw Maximilian Wober knock the ball into his own net while trying to clear.
Substitutions didn't come either end as the second half resumed, with the Austrian counterparts on the back-foot and France enjoying ascendancy.
Real Madrid-bound Mbappe earned a glaring opportunity to open his account in the tournament ten minutes from the break after outsprinting Wober to a ball in behind, but shot blazingly wide.
Les Bleus caused more problems in the midway mark of the second half as a first-time shot by Marcus Thuram from a tight angle drew a save off Patrick Pentz.
France brought on a double alteration with 20 minutes remaining where Randal Kolo Muani and Eduardo Camavinga replaced Adrien Rabiot and Ousmane Dembele respectively.
While Mbappe did not finish the game after a suspected broken nose, Les Bleus survived a heavy late storm to bag the victory to start the tournament positively, leaving Austria utterly shattered.
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