Despite being the first team to be eliminated from the tournament, Poland looked surprisingly sharp from the outset.
But two-time European Champions France threatened in quick succession, with Theo Hernandez and Ousmane Dembele forcing Lukasz Skorupski into close range saves at either end of the six-yard box. With just one goal to their name so far, France continued to underperform against a well-structured Polish outfit seeking to avoid a third straight defeat.
Perhaps boosted by the return of Robert Lewandowski in his first start at the tournament, Michal Probierz’s men came the closest when their greatest goalscorer sent a downward header inches
wide of the left post, deflecting off William Saliba on its way out.
All the action, however, was packed at the other end of the pitch on the brink of HT, with Skorupski heroically denying Kylian Mbappe twice at point-blank range before Marco Guida signalled for the break.
The theme of the evening soon resumed, as the Bologna shot-stopper was once again cast into the spotlight by main man Mbappé’s curling effort, before Jakub Kiwior gifted the French after bringing Dembele down in the box.
Mbappe confidently netted his first-ever goal at the European Championship, scoring from a shot at the 23rd time of asking – more than any other Les Bleus player on record since 1980.
However, a late twist arrived in the form of a penalty for Poland with the onset of the final quarter-hour, as the Italian referee consulted VAR for a foul on Karol Swiderski.
Mike Maignan saved Lewandowski’s first attempt, before being penalized for breaching his line, as the Polish marksman struck gold at the second time of asking into the bottom left corner to restore parity - becoming the only player to have netted at each of the last four Euro editions.
The draw means Poland head back home with their heads held high despite remaining winless in nine games against France dating back to 1982. Meanwhile, France will rue having given up their lead and missed the chance to finish as group leaders, despite extending their undefeated streak to six games on the trot.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Lukasz Skorupski (Poland)
