UEFA – Netherlands and France canceled each other out in Leipzig, with both tied on four points at the top of Group D.
There was nothing to choose between the Netherlands and France in a goalless UEFA EURO 2024 draw in Leipzig that keeps Group D wide open heading into the final day.
Key moments
1′: Frimpong tests Maignan14′: Griezmann gives a false kick, curls wide28′: Thuram crashes 60′: Thuram hits in front of the post
The match in brief: heavy defenses prevail
In the end, both teams will likely feel relatively satisfied with a draw, with each now within a point of third-placed Austria ahead of next week’s final group games.
It was a fight in which the defenders were the stars of the show, with Dutch captain Virgil van Dijk particularly impressive in keeping France’s potent attacking threats quiet.
The Oranje almost led inside a minute, Jérémie Frimpong showing blistering pace to break free and latch onto a through ball, only for the winger to see his effort tipped around the post by the keeper French Mike Maignan.Netherlands 0-0 France: in this case, reaction
It looked like Blues skipper Antoine Griezmann was going to open the scoring in the 15th minute after Adrien Rabiot put the ball to him on a plate near the goal, but the evergreen forward just couldn’t get it out of his feet. , and Griezmann also curled up moments later.
Marcus Thuram then broke the Dutch offside trap to rush onto a wonderful pass from Jules Koundé, but could only explode from a tight angle and the first half ended tied.
There was little action in the goalmouth in the second half until space suddenly opened up in front of Thuram, but the 26-year-old dragged his shot wide.
France increased the intensity and looked the team more likely to strike, with Rabiot’s late defeat down the left of particular concern. However, there was no way of getting past the orange wall as the match ended 0-0, with Les Bleus coach Didier Deschamps opting to keep Kylian Mbappé on the bench.
Vivo player of the match: N’Golo Kanté (France)
Kanté was good defensively throughout the match, but was also influential in France’s attacking moments, as reflected in his statistics. UEFA Technical Observer Panel
Derek Brookman, Dutch journalist
The Oranje should be satisfied with a point. The French were stronger after the break, but never dominated to the point where the Dutch defense looked in serious danger of being breached. Van Dijk had one of his best games in the orange jersey, and congratulations to goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen too for a very accomplished performance.
Alex Clementson, journalist France
A clash between two titans of European football. It could have ended aimlessly, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. It was a captivating encounter from the first minute. France created chances, with Griezmann twice going close, but unfortunately for the French, the finishing touch eluded them. Four points out of two, Poland in the lead and an opportunity to take the lead of the group.
Reaction
Ronald Koeman, Netherlands coach: “The result is a bit disappointing, but if you think about the whole game, there were times when we lost possession when we shouldn’t have, and it wasn’t great. It’s always complicated to come up against a team like France. We want to play our style of football and be bold, but we can’t lose the ball like we did tonight. We need to react faster and create more chances from the start. We are a team that still needs to grow.
Bart Verbruggen, Netherlands goalkeeper: “It’s a bit funny, I guess. Shared feelings. Of course, you are disappointed not to win the match, because you want to win everything, especially against a good opponent like France. But on the other hand, [we kept a] blank sheet, a point is a point, and you move on.
Didier Deschamps, France coach: “I’m happy with what my boys pulled out of the bag tonight, even if I was disappointed with our lack of efficiency in front of goal. There are a lot of positives to take away, and you have to consider the opponents, who were both strong (Austria and Netherlands). But obviously, to win matches you have to score goals. We will think about it and hope to improve in the next match so that we can achieve our goal of qualifying for the next round.
Olivier Giroud, French striker: “I think we dominated the match in the sense that we created more chances. We are a little frustrated, because we wanted the three points. But in the end, a draw isn’t so bad. Our destiny is still in our hands.
Key statistics
It was the second time the Netherlands had failed to score in their last 19 EURO group stage matches. It was their first 0-0 draw since the stalemate against Scotland at EURO 96. Before tonight, none of the last 50 EURO matches had ended in a draw and goalless since England and Scotland’s 0-0 draw at EURO 2020. The match ended Cody Gakpo’s scoring run in four successive major tournament group matches (three at World Cup 2022 and one at EURO 2024). Excluding penalties, France have lost only one of their last 13 EURO matches (7 wins, 5 draws). The Blues are undefeated in their last eight EURO group stage matches (4 wins, 4 draws). Olivier Giroud and Antoine Griezmann have both made 13 EURO appearances for France, tied with Laurent Blanc and Didier Deschamps. Only Lilian Thuram (16 years old), Hugo Lloris (15 years old) and Zinédine Zidane (14 years old) have more.
Compositions
Pays-Bas: Verbruggen; Dumfries, De Vrij, Van Dijk, Aké; Schouten (Veerman 73), Simons (Wijnaldum 73), Reijnders ; Frimpong (Geertruida 73), Depay (Weghorst 79), Gakpo
France:Maignan; Koundé, Saliba, Upamecano, Hernández; Dembélé (Coman 75), Kanté, Tchouaméni, Rabiot; Griezmann, Thuram (Giroud 75)
Originally published in The European Times.
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