In the early hours today, the Netherlands hosted France in the context of the EURO 2024 qualifiers. Manager Ronald Koeman was missing several key players, including Cody Gakpo, Jurrien Timber, Sven Botman, Matthijs de Ligt, and Frenkie de Jong. Comparatively, France was considered the stronger team.
The visitors reaped the rewards early on. In the 7th minute, originating from a cross on the right wing by Jonathan Clauss, Kylian Mbappe unleashed a world-class one-touch shot, tearing apart the Dutch net. France took an early 1-0 lead, with a swift attacking setup from Les Bleus.
Mbappe prevailed in a duel, securing a victory in a tussle with defender Lutsharel Geertruida. In this match, Mbappe combined with Kingsley Coman and Randal Kolo Muani to form France’s attacking trio.
In the 26th minute, midfielder Joey Veerman fired a left-footed shot from within the French penalty area. The ball struck the crossbar, causing many French fans to hold their breath. Lucas Hernandez and Ibrahima Konate were the center-back pair for France in this match.
At the end of the first 45 minutes, France led the Netherlands 1-0. The home team had few moments of pressure on the Les Bleus’ goal.
Entering the second half, France still had the upper hand in terms of dangerous opportunities and overall game control compared to the Netherlands. In the 53rd minute, Mbappe marked his name on the electronic scoreboard for the second time. Adrien Rabiot delivered an excellent pass, and Mbappe confidently dribbled before firing a shot from the edge of the penalty area, sending the ball into the top corner of the Dutch goal.
Mbappe delivered an extraordinary performance, playing a pivotal role in Les Bleus’ attack.
After the second goal conceded, the Netherlands fought back and increased pressure on the French goal. In the 83rd minute, defender Quilindschy Hartman broke through on the left flank, fired a dangerous shot, and beat goalkeeper Mike Maignan. The score was reduced to 2-1 in favor of the Netherlands.
In the remaining time, both teams failed to add more goals. The final result saw France win 2-1 against the Netherlands. As a result, Didier Deschamps and his team officially secured their place in the EURO 2024 finals. The gap between them and the second-placed team, Greece, is 6 points, while they are 9 points ahead of the third-placed Netherlands.
