France Hit Bottom in Nations League; Coach Deschamps Says 'Nothing to Worry About'

The World champions France find themselves at the bottom of their group after drawing 1-1 against Austria on Saturday. Les Blues have acquired just two points in three games they played in the UEFA Nations League. The FIFA golden boy Kylian Mbappe scored a stunning equaliser to help France rescue a 1-1 draw against Austria at the Ernst Happel Stadium.

The hosts struck early as forward Andreas Weimenn scored his first international goal in the 34th minute of the game. In response, the French side created many threatening opportunities but failed to convert any of them into goals. The France gaffer, Didier Deschamps decided to bring on Mbappe in the second half in place of Antoine Griezmann. The super substitute found the back of the net in the 83rd minute making the tie all square. He came close to scoring the winner of the match when Austrian goalkeeper Patrick Pentz made a crucial save by deflecting the ball onto the near post.

“I’m disappointed that we didn’t score more with all the chances we had,” Deschamps said to TF1 after the match. Following a devastating campaign before the FIFA World cup, the French boss didn’t seem to be much concerned. “I’m not worried. It is not the result we hoped for, and we are not at the top of our form or fitness, but we have given playing time to some younger players,” he added.

The world champions have failed to keep a clean sheet in 10 of their last 15 matches and would have faced another defeat in the space of three games if not for the heroics of Kylian Mbappe. “We did not win; we didn’t take what we wanted before the game. We will work to try to win on Monday”; Mbappe told TF1.

When asked about his injury, the PSG man said: “I’m not 100% but if the coach needs me, I’ll be there. Afterwards, it’s the last match before the holidays, we can push a little.”

Earlier in the league, France drew against Croatia and lost to Denmark. They will be heading to Croatia next week and will be looking to put up a better performance against the Croats. Deschamps will be hoping that his team could come through with a win before going to the next round of fixtures in September.

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