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Mbappe, Benzema see goals disallowed as France top Germany

Munich, Germany, Jun 15 (EFE).- Reigning World Cup champions France beat Germany 1-0 here Tuesday in their Euro 2020 opener and the margin of defeat would have been larger but for a pair of offside calls that erased goals by Kylian Mbappe and Karim Benzema.

France are level on points with Portugal, 3-0 winners over Hungary earlier Tuesday in Budapest, but Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates are first in Group F by virtue of better goal difference.

What proved to be the decisive moment of the contest came in the 20th minute, when German defender Mats Hummels – recalled to the squad last month after being dropped in March 2019 – inadvertently put the ball past goalkeeper Manuel Neuer while trying to clear a cross into the box by Lucas Hernandez.

Germany’s first loss in a Euro opener could have been worse. Adrien Rabiot hit the post and Mbappe had a goal called back.

With six minutes left in regulation, Paul Pogba and Mbappe combined to set up a goal by Benzema, making his return to Les Bleus after an absence of nearly six years.

But a VAR review detected that Mbappe was slightly offside and the goal was taken off. EFE rz-jap/dr

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