Kylian Mbappe climbs off bench to snatch Nations League draw for France at Austria

Andreas Weimann scored his first international goal but Austria were denied a win by a late strike from substitute Kylian Mbappe as France grabbed a 1-1 draw in the Nations League. France have had a tough time in the Nations League, with this their second draw from three games — with the other match being a loss. Ad/> The first 30 minutes of the match were tight, with Austria defending well to frustrate current world champions in France.

UEFA Nations LeagueKramaric earns Croatia battling draw with experimental France side06/06/2022 AT 17:54 The best chance for the away side in that half-hour came after Patrick Pentz made a save from a free-kick. Karim Benzema pounced on the rebound from close range, but Pentz was quick to react again, before Maximilian Wober cleared the ball away from danger. Austria’s plan in attack was to wait for France to get the ball in midfield, before triggering an aggressive press and attempting a counter attack.

This plan eventually came off in the 37th minute, when Weimann got on the end of the home’s side well-worked goal. It was Antoine Griezmann who lost the ball in midfield, and when Marko Arnautovic got the ball at the edge of the box, he waited a moment for Konrad Laimer’s sprinting overlap run before passing it on. Laimer instantly found Weimann in the box with a low, fast pass, and the midfielder was able to place it into the bottom left corner, giving Austria the lead.

France were much better on the ball in the second half, and had several attempts to get an equaliser, but they were wasteful with the chances they created. Thing improved when Mbappe was introduced and he grabbed a leveller seven minutes from time. More to follow… UEFA Nations LeagueBenzema overshadowed by Cornelius as