PLAYER RATINGS: Which former Premier League star stole the show for France? One French attacker MUST do more to stay in the team… and Austria has an evening to forget

Kylian Mbappe’s wait for a goal at a European Championship continues, but one of the Euro 2024 favorites is out after a 1-0 win over Austria.

France will know it should have been more, but because of some faulty finishing, not least from Mbappe when he was sent through one-on-one.

Austria look very different these days under former Manchester United interim boss Ralf Rangnick and they will still have plenty of hopes for the rest of the tournament.

Ultimately, it was a former Premier League star who stole the show and reminded him why he has absolutely nothing to do with his presence in Saudi Arabia.

Here, Mail Sport’s NATHAN SALT takes charge of the two teams…

AUSTRIA (4-2-3-1)

Patrick Pentz-6

Made a strong early save from Kylian Mbappé and found his feet in Düsseldorf. Couldn’t do absolutely anything about the own goal opener, mind you.

Phillipp Mwene-5

He made a very crazy challenge on Ousmane Dembélé, which earned him a booking after half an hour. Was also turned inside out by Mbappé just before the opening goal. Booked.

Maximilian Wober – 4

Nightmare night for the Leeds United centre-back. He never looked comfortable after picking up an early yellow card, with his passes quickly exposing Austria. His own goal was unfortunate, but left a lot to be desired in terms of positioning. Hooked early and needs to do much better.

Kevin Danso-5.5

It seemed serviceable because his defensive partner was, for the most part, a liability. The fact that this was only one goal had more to do with France’s incorrect finishing than with a solid defensive performance. Booked.

Stefan Posch-5

Name a more difficult task in world football right now than marking Kylian Mbappé and Theo Hernandez? Posch’s head is probably still spinning, but Stefan, it gets easier from here…

Florian Grillitsch-6

Was the first of the midfielders to be caught by Ralf Rangnick, but this was a performance that showed exactly what this new version of Austria is like. It’s just a shame for them and Grillitsch that he ran into N’Golo Kante in full flight.

Nicolas Seiwald – 6.5

It looked like France would spread by switching games, but there are so few locks to pick when facing teams as good as this. Should find more joy when the Netherlands and Poland run against them.

Christoph Baumgartner-6.5

Brightest Austrian player of the evening. However, he may have a sleepless night after having a huge chance to open the scoring when he came between Saliba and Upamecano. Couldn’t lift it above Maignan and Austria never had a chance at that quality again.

Marcel Sabitzer-5

Invisible for a long time and that cannot continue if Austria – for many a dark horse – is going to make a lot of noise in this tournament. The former Manchester United midfielder looked so ineffective when pushed out on the left and it wasn’t a huge shock to see him drifted in again and again.

Konrad Laimer-6

His best asset of the evening was his pace to encourage Maignan to boot the ball long. I didn’t get much change from Theo Hernandez, but few wingers did. There are much easier assignments in this group. Booked.

Michael Gregoritsch-6

Didn’t do enough to ruffle Saliba or Upamecano’s feathers. In reality the odds were quite long and the game was very difficult indeed to get into.

COACH: Ralf Rangnick-6

The former Man United interim boss is taking a lot of credit for his time at Old Trafford, but he appears to have found a home with Austria, who have improved significantly under his leadership. I’m sure I’ve seen enough here to believe they can trouble the other teams in this group.

SUBS

Gernot Trauner (for Maximilian Wober, 59) – 5

Marko Arnautovic (for Michael Gregoritsch, 59) – 5

Patrick Wimmer (for Florian Grillitsch, 59) – 6

Romano Schmid (for Konrad Laimer, 90+1)

FRANCE (4-3-3)

Mike Maignan-6

Actually had very little to do, but made himself big when Austria had the best chance in the first half after a communication breakdown between Saliba and Upamecano. The speed at which he distributes is such an asset to this team.

Theo Hernández – 7.5

The AC Milan full-back is an incredible ball carrier when in full flight and if his decision-making in the early stages had been better he might have had an assist or two. More than capable of being the standout fullback in this entire tournament.

Dayot Upamecano-7

A controlled and quiet evening that will not have gone down badly with his manager. The physically imposing centre-back managed to contain much of the danger and will be happy with his evening’s work.

William Saliba – 7.5

He looked nervous to start and it took a while to settle down, but when he did he was a gem. It was almost as if he remembered he belonged at this level and from there Austria got little to no change from him. What a season he is having.

Jules Kounde – 6.5

Had a few hairy moments but showed brilliant recovery pace to make up for any mistakes he made. He had to be more clinical in the penalty area at the other end when he had a golden opportunity to double France’s lead.

Adrian Rabiot – 6

Fans were left scratching their heads over his inclusion ahead of Eduardo Camavinga, but Rabiot did not disgrace himself. He was a real pest in midfield, stepping in to win the ball back and create transition opportunities.

N’Golo Kante – 8

This felt like a performance that left viewers and fans bathed in nostalgia. The former Leicester City and Chelsea midfielder sent a timely reminder that, despite currently playing in Saudi Arabia, he can still compete at the highest level. A brilliant display.

Antoine Griezmann-6.5

Technically great and he is given permission to roam while Kante is mopping around behind him in this setup. Was pulled back a little more in the second half after being left with a bloodied head following a nasty push into the billboards.

Marcus Thuram-5

Didn’t do enough considering the talent on the bench pushing for a start and perhaps looking over his shoulder ahead of the next game.

Kylian Mbappe – 7

Of course it was he who forced the opener. He drifted to the right and was four men ahead on the byline before his cross was headed in by Wober. And yet, before he appeared to break his nose in the closing stages, the big talking point was how he stunningly missed a one-on-one opportunity that he could only laugh about. Everyone in Düsseldorf and beyond could not believe their eyes. Booked.

Ousmane Dembele – 6

A total burden for Austria and it was no surprise that the left back and centre-back who had to keep him quiet were both shown yellow cards. There is still a lot to be desired in terms of his decision-making, but his pace and guile mean he cannot be ignored. Booked.

BUS: Didier Deschamps – 7

In his 100th game in charge, it was a victory that should have been much more comfortable. Received a booking for an irate reaction late in the match when Mbappé was carded for returning to the pitch to stop play due to injury.

SUBS

Randal Kolo Muani (for Ousmane Dembele, 71) – 6.5

Eduardo Camavinga (for Adrien Rabiot, 71) – 6

Olivier Giroud (for Kylian Mbappé, 90)

Yousseff Fofana (for Antoine Griezmann, 90+1)