The French team and that of the Netherlands were unable to decide between themselves, Friday June 21 in Leipzig, as part of the second day of the group stage of the European Nations Championship (0-0, group D). Without Kylian Mbappé, the Blues failed to deceive the Dutch defense. They will play their qualification in the last match against Poland on June 25.
3 mins
An own goal against Austria, none against the Netherlands: the French have a certain offensive potential, but they are struggling to get the ball rolling at the start of the season.Euro 2024. The Oranje folded but did not break in the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig. They also had chances, but Mike Maignan was able to keep his clean sheet. And so after two days, no one in group D still has their ticket for the round of 16 and everyone can still believe in it.
A little over an hour before kick-off, the great mystery surrounding this shock was resolved: Kylian Mbappé was in the group but substitute, due to his broken nose Monday against Austria. In the absence of the usual captain, Didier Deschamps opted for a three-way attack by replacing Marcus Thuram in the center and moving Antoine Griezmann to the left wing, while Ousmane Dembélé was aligned on the right.
To consultEuro 2024: find the calendar and results
Maignan and Verbruggen very hot
After less than a minute of play, the Netherlands lit the first fuse with Jeremie Frimpong starting on the right side. His shot was deflected by Maignan, the French goalkeeper. A few moments later, it was Antoine Griezmann, the captain of the evening, who tested Bart Verbruggen’s gloves with a beautiful long shot. At the start of the lively match, Adrien Rabiot was too selfless in the area a quarter of an hour into the game, preferring to look for Griezmann rather than try his luck. And like the response of the shepherd to the shepherdess, it was then the Batavian Cody Gakpo who came up against Maignan again.
At the break, the Blues had possession to their advantage, but not much else. If Thuram spared no effort, the absence of Mbappé was noticeable in the offensive area, and the 0-0 was then logical, with a slightly better impression on the French side where we were able to trigger several interesting sequences.
Simons’ goal cancelled, first 0-0 in this Euro
In the second half, France got another great opportunity through Griezmann, found by N’Golo Kanté in the area. Unfortunately for number 7, the ball remained at his feet and Verbruggen was able to intervene. Behind, the Netherlands thought they could bring down the vice-world champions 20 minutes from time with this tense shot from Xavi Simons into the back of the net. But the assistant referee signaled an offside by Denzel Dumfries, whose position had prevented Maignan from intervening. The video assistant confirmed the cancellation of the goal.
Didier Deschamps threw Olivier Giroud and Kingsley Coman into the battle for the last quarter of an hour, leaving Kylian Mbappé definitively out of this match. The French pushed until the end to make the difference, without success. So here is the first 0-0 of this Euro 2024, and it leaves all scenarios open for the last day of Group D on June 25. That day, France (4 points) will face Poland (0 points), while the Netherlands (4 points) will face Austria (3 points). There will be suspense on all sides.