June 11, (THEWILL) – A disappointing 1-1 draw away to Austria in Vienna on Friday, saw France drop to the bottom of their Nations League group with tough times ahead for Didier Deschamps side.
After losing at home to Denmark and drawing away to Croatia in their first two games, the competition’s defending champions have only two points out of a possible nine from three Group A1 matches.
Les Blues could have been in much more trouble at Ernst Happel Stadion, as they fell behind to an Andreas Weimann goal in the 37th minute and could not find a leveler until substitute Kylian Mbappe came through for them and equalised late on. Karim Benzema was blunt and Antoine Griezmann could not get a shot on goal.
With three games remaining, Deschamps’ charges are four points behind the leaders Denmark, two behind Austria and Croatia, and only one team will advance to the finals next year. If Les Blues are to leapfrog these other teams and finish on top, they will have to win their remaining matches and pray for other outcomes to go their way.
Already, Austria has won two of its three games under Ralf Rangnick, who has had an immediate impact following his dismal term as interim Manchester United manager.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
