It was another action-packed night of football in Euro 2024, with two major upsets and a concerning injury for a French superstar.

Plus, a YouTuber revealed how he gained access to the opening ceremony without being noticed by security.

Here are the five quick hits from Monday night into Tuesday morning.

1. Concerns for French star after suffering head injury

Kylian Mbappé suffered a facial injury and was replaced as France beat Austria 1-0 in its opening game of the European Championship.

The striker, involved in the first-half goal, clashed heads with Austria’s Kevin Danso late in the game and was in obvious pain on the grass, prompting Austria goalkeeper Patrick Pentz to signal for medical attention.

Mbappé received medical treatment and his shirt was covered with blood from what appeared to be a blow to his nose as a result of the incident in Dusseldorf. He tried to play on but quickly fell to the ground, holding his face and prompting whistles and jeers from Austria’s fans.

He was booked by the referee and replaced by Olivier Giroud.

France needed an own goal from Maximilian Wober off a Mbappé shot to beat Austria in the Group D game and hand Didier Deschamps his 100th win as national team coach.

2. Slovakia beats Belgium in one of the great Euro upsets

Slovakia pulled off one of the biggest shocks in European Championship history, defeating world number three Belgium 1-0. With Slovakia ranked 48th in the world, it was the event’s biggest statistical upset since the FIFA rankings began in the early 1990s.

Belgium will feel they were unlucky. Romelu Lukaku had one goal chalked off for a tight offside and another for a debatable handball in the build-up, but Slovakia defended well after Ivan Schranz pounced on a seventh-minute error by Jeremy Doku.

Slovakia’s most notable win since defeating Italy at the 2010 World Cup was preserved by defender David Hancko’s brave goal-line block that left him sprawled with a head injury inflicted by a teammate’s knee.

That came in the 62nd minute, from substitute Johan Bakayoko’s close-range shot, just seven minutes after Lukaku’s first “goal” was overturned by the automatic offside system.

A video assistant referee (VAR) intervention in the 86th minute disallowed Lukaku’s powerful shot because of a handball by creator Lois Openda.

3. Romania claims first Euro win since 2000

Romania players celebrated with their yellow-clad fans after their first European Championship win in 24 years.

At the other end of Munich Arena, Ukraine’s players apologised to their supporters after the surprisingly bad 3-0 loss.

Goals from captain Nicolae Stanciu, Răzvan Marin and Denis Drăgus on Monday led Romania to only its second win in Euros history, after a stunning England 3-2 at Euro 2000.

Edward Iordănescu, the first coach to lead Romania at a European Championship since his father Anghel in 2016, hailed his players as a “generation of soul”.

“A fantastic effort by my team. If you had any doubts, you can believe me now that this is a great team,” Iordănescu said a day after he turned 46. 

“We have had golden generations, but this nation does not represent any metal; it is the generation of soul.

“My family have lived these kind of situations for years. But such a big heart, such a soul as this team has, no-one has had that. This has to be the generation of soul for Romania. This generation is limitless.”

4. Ukraine reminds everyone of the ongoing conflict with Russia

The Ukrainian soccer federation has unveiled an installation in Munich made from a stadium stand destroyed during the war back home.

The installation was designed to highlight the ongoing conflict ahead of the team’s first match at the European Championship on Monday.

The parts of the stand — from Kharkiv’s Sonyachny stadium that was built for Euro 2012 and Ukraine co-hosted — was displayed in a square in Munich ahead of the team’s opener against Romania.

The stadium was destroyed by Russian troops in May 2022 and is part of an interactive installation highlighting that 500 sports infrastructure facilities in Ukraine have suffered from Russian bombings and missile strikes during the war.

“Today we’re going to start our games,” said former Ukraine coach and striker Andriy Shevchenko, who is the president of the country’s soccer federation. “One team on the field but a million soldiers who stay and defend Ukraine.

“We are all together. We play today for the country. We play today for the people who defend our lives and our country.”

The stadium was the training base for the Netherlands team during Euro 2012. Ukraine also trained there ahead of the last European Championship, where it reached the quarterfinals in its most successful campaign to date.

5. YouTuber creates fake IDs to gain access to opening ceremony

A German YouTuber says he made it onto the field during the European Championship opening ceremony while disguised in a mascot costume, in an incident which revealed flaws in tournament security.

Marvin Wildhage published a video appearing to show how he entered the Munich stadium last Friday in a fake costume and danced on the corner of the field before being led away by a UEFA staff member.

UEFA said in a statement: “We can confirm that there was an incident with a fake mascot costume at the match in Munich … between Germany and Scotland. Three people have gained unauthorised access.

“UEFA has assessed the situation and initiated the necessary organisational measures. Three individuals have been banned from entering stadiums hosting UEFA Euro 2024 matches. Please understand that we cannot provide any further information due to the ongoing proceedings of the investigating authorities.”

Wildhage said he ordered his bear costume online from China for 3,200 euros ($3,400) and made his own fake tournament credentials by copying the design from photos posted on social media by Euro 2024 employees.

The credentials did not pass a scan at the entrance to Allianz Arena but Wildhage and an associate were waved in by a security guard who was convinced by an imitation parking pass, according to the account shown in the video.

ABC/AP/AAP