Mats Hummels scored an own goal sufficient to give France a 1-0 victory over Germany at the start of their journey in Group F of the European Football Championship on Tuesday, marking the first time Germany has lost its opening match in the finals of the European Championship. The World Cup champions took the lead in the 20th minute when Lucas Hernandez delivered a strong cross from the left in front of the goal. Hummels attempted to clear it, but the ball struck his foot and found the net.
France achieved a deserved victory after also hitting the crossbar, while Germany will need to recover against Portugal on Saturday as France faces Hungary.
France was on point, and coach Didier Deschamps said, "This was our first match, and it was great. We could have met in the semi-finals or finals, but we got the three points, which is the most important thing." He added, "Germany is a difficult team to face, but we were on point. This victory means a lot to the team."
The match marked Germany's 50th appearance in the European Championship, a record, and they started cautiously before France squandered two chances through Paul Pogba and Kylian Mbappe. The visiting team gradually pressed ahead, taking advantage of the pace of the wingers. This paid off in the 20th minute when Pogba played a brilliant cross-field ball to Lucas Hernandez, who sent in the cross that Hummels accidentally put into his own net, having been recalled to the squad over two years after being excluded.
The German team, aiming to appease their fans after the humiliating exit in the group stage of the 2018 World Cup, failed to penetrate France's defense. When they did break through on rare occasions, it was through Robin Gosens on the left side, with one of his crosses finding Ilkay Gundogan, who shot wide.
France almost scored again in the 52nd minute during another quick counterattack led by Adrien Rabiot from the left, but he hit the post. This prompted the hosts to attempt a response, leading to three consecutive opportunities where Gosens played a key role before Benjamin Pavard was injured after an hour, granting France a moment to catch their breath.
France gradually began to lose possession, but their counterattacks remained dangerous, with Mbappe and Karim Benzema having two goals disallowed for offside. The referee also denied Mbappe a penalty after he sprinted quicker than Hummels to chase a long ball in the 78th minute.
Coach Joachim Loew of Germany stated, "It was a very tough match, and we fought until the end. The own goal decided the game." He added, "I do not blame the team because we struggled. Maybe we lacked strength and a final touch." He continued, "We must look forward. We lost and feel disappointed, but we still have two matches ahead of us," according to Reuters.
With this victory, France remains unbeaten in their last 17 competitive matches and maintained their composure until the end to reveal their intentions for the title after finishing second in Group F behind Portugal, which earlier defeated Hungary 3-0.
