France claim victory over Germany at Euro 2020 after own goal

Error by experienced defender Mats Hummels gives France a 1-0 victory

epa09274816 Mats Hummels of Germany reacts during the UEFA EURO 2020 group F preliminary round soccer match between France and Germany in Munich, Germany, 15 June 2021.  EPA/Matthias Hangst / POOL (RESTRICTIONS: For editorial news reporting purposes only. Images must appear as still images and must not emulate match action video footage. Photographs published in online publications shall have an interval of at least 20 seconds between the posting.)
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Mats Hummels’s return to the German national team went better for France than it did for his country.

The experienced defender was recalled by Germany coach Joachim Loew for the European Championship because of his leadership qualities.

But Hummels scored an own-goal on Tuesday to give France a 1-0 victory at the European Championship.

He was trying to stop Lucas Hernandez’s cross from reaching France forward Kylian Mbappe when he diverted the ball into his own net with his shin in the 20th minute.

Both teams had chances to score. Ilkay Gundogan wasted Germany’s best opportunity of the first half when he could not direct his shot on target.

France twice put the ball in the net in the second half but both were called back for offside.

Mbappe sent a curling shot inside the far post midway through the half and then set up Karim Benzema for another late in the match.

Benzema was playing in his first competitive game for France since a World Cup quarter-final loss to Germany in 2014.

Mbappe, 22, also had a penalty appeal waved off in between the offside goals.

Hummels timed his tackle perfectly when the Frenchman would have been through on goal.

Germany had never previously lost an opening game in the group stage at the European Championship.

Loew started with the same line-up from the 7-1 rout of Latvia in the final warm-up game, but his team had no answer to Paul Pogba, who disrupted the team’s build-up play.

Pogba also provided incisive passes for France’s fearsome forward trio of Mbappe, Benzema and Antoine Griezmann.

While Germany pushed hard in the second half, France always looked the likelier to score.

Loew, who is stepping down after the tournament, sent on forwards Leroy Sane and Timo Werner late in the match, and then Kevin Volland as a last resort, but none could make a difference.

Germany’s next coach, Hansi Flick, was among about 14,000 spectators in attendance.

A Greenpeace protester parachuted into the stadium before the match began.