N'Golo Kante's Late Recovery to Stop Austria Attack Earns Al Ittihad Star Praises on Social Media

• Saudi-based N'Golo Kante produced a Man of the Match performance as France defeated Austria
• The Al-Ittihad midfielder's timely tackle late in the game ensured France got off to a winning start
• The former European champions will face the Netherlands in Group D's headliner in their next game

France midfielder, N'Golo Kante, has been all over social media following his starring performance in the Group D opener against Austria.

The Saudi-based midfielder produced a late recovery tackle to stop Austria from getting an equaliser in the hard-fought win on Monday, June 17, 2024.

A first-half own goal from Maximilian Wöber was enough as France secured all three points at the Merkur Spiel-Arena.

In a video shared on social media, Kante raced from 40m back to stop the Austrian from a quick counter-attack.

'The GOAT': Cristiano Ronaldo receives rave reviews after reaching 130 goals for Portugal

Football

His performance was crucial for Les Blues, who have been dubbed tournament favourites, having reached the final of the last World Cup.

Meanwhile, he also became the second player plying his trade outside of Europe to represent France at an international tournament.

How fans reacted to Kante's performance

@julietbawuah wrote:

Another reminder from N’Golo Kante to do the simple things in midfield. Simple football.

@TenHagEra posted:

This Kante performance has been ELITE.

@DeanCFC added:

70% of the earth is covered by water. The rest is covered by N’Golo Kante.

@MCFC_Jacky wrote:

Kante running back to defend, this guy is unbelievable

@PoojaMedia tweeted:

Kante - Toyota Corolla's 2005 engine. Fuel conserver.

@FootballFactly posted:

“Class is permanent” has never applied to anyone more than N’Golo Kante.

Mbappe's drought continues at Euros

'Real Madrid with Kylian Mbappe are beatable': Bayern Munich's Jamal Musiala insists

Football

Earlier, Sports Brief reported that Kylian Mbappe's search for a first European Championship goal had to be prolonged after missing the best chance of the game between France and Austria.

The new Real Madrid signing might have also produced an early miss of the tournament contender after placing his ball wide when left with only the goalkeeper to beat.

Although he was largely missing in the first half, the France captain forced the opener after his cross was misguided into the wrong net by Austria's Maximilian Wöber.