Nations League: Mbappe and Giroud strike to help France sink Austria 2-0

France secured a 2-0 victory over Austria at Stade de France to end their winless run in the Nations League this evening.

Kylian Mbappe set the tone for Les Blues in the first half, coming close to scoring on several occasions.

The Paris Saint-Germain forward broke the deadlock in the second half after going past a couple of defenders with his sheer pace and dribbling skills before finding the net.

Olivier Giroud soon doubled the lead with a towering header from Antoine Griezmann’s cross. The goal was the 49th in his international career, only two shy of top scorer Thierry Henry’s tally.

Griezmann also looked refreshed playing in the hole and combined well with Giroud and Mbappe, which was reminiscent of the 2018 World Cup.

AS Monaco defender Benoit Badiashile was handed his debut and he didn’t disappoint, helping Les Bleus secure a clean sheet.

However, Jules Kounde’s injury was a setback in an otherwise perfect evening for Didier Deschamps’ side.

The Barcelona centre-back was taken off inside 25 minutes, with William Saliba replacing him.

Kounde is the latest in a long list of injuries for France, but it also comes as a massive blow for the Catalan giants who see him as an integral part of the defence.

Austria were poor during the game, failing to register a single shot on target.

Ralf Rangnick’s men are now in danger of relegation after falling to the bottom of the group, with France moving up to third place.