The Netherlands and France settled for a draw at the end of a nervy Euro 2024 group encounter at the Leipzig Stadium.
France had a massive chunk of the possession, as they held the ball in search of opportunities that they could use to punish the Oranje.
Ronald Koeman’s side had a big chance in the 16th minute, with Cody Gakpo driving inside from the left to the edge of the area.
Gakpo then curled a low right-footed strike towards the bottom-right corner, however, Mike Maignan went down well to parry the ball away for a corner to the Netherlands.
Marcus Thuram Wasted A Golden Chance In The First Half
Les Blues also had a big opportunity in the 28th minute, after Jules Kounde sent a delightful ball through to Marcus Thuram.
Thuram dashed forward, having done too well to beat the Dutch’s offside line, unfortunately for Didier Deschamps‘ side, their forward man couldn’t bury the golden chance handed to him.
In the 31st minute, Jerdy Schouten was shown a yellow by referee Anthony Taylor, after he dragged France’s Antoine Griezmann, who was advancing on an attack.
The fixture started explosively, but it cooled off as the first half wore out, with both defenses switched on high alert.
Anyway, the Netherlands and France ended the opening period level pegging, with plenty to do in the second half.
In the second half, both teams had a proper go at each other, with opportunities falling to either side.
Three minutes after the hour mark, a massive chance fell to France, after Ousmane Dembele had delivered a cross into the box which was cleared away by captain Van Dijk.
Les Blues got back possession, with the ball handed back to Dembele, who sent a cross into the box which connected to the head of Aurelien Tchouameni, but his header from close range went over the bar.
Two minutes later, following an intricate attacking move by Les Blues, N’golo Kante served the ball to Antoine Griezmann in a prime position, however, the Atletico Madrid man couldn’t put the ball into the back of the net, with the Netherlands goalie Verbruggen making a big save.
Xavi Simons Put The Netherlands Briefly In Front Against France
In the 69th minute, the Netherlands put the ball into the back of the net through Xavi Simons after a swift and delightful attacking move.
Painfully for Ronald Koeman’s side, their joy was short-lived, as defender Dumfries was deemed to have interfered with play from an offside position leading to the goal being chalked off.
Joey Veerman replaced Xavi Simons in the 73rd minute, while Georginio Wijnaldum was introduced in place of Jerdy Schouten.
The Netherlands also brought on Lutsharel Geertruida for Jeremie Frimpong, who was decent throughout his time on the pitch.
Two minutes later, France made their alterations, with Kingsley Coman entering the fray for Ousmane Dembele, while Olivier Giroud was introduced for Marcus Thuram, who had a below-par outing in attack.
Eleven minutes before the end of normal time, the Oranje made their final change and this time it was Memphis Depay being withdrawn for Wout Weghorst, who was involved with Super Sub duties in their opening game against Poland.
Kylian Mbappe played no part in the high octane encounter, as manager Didier Deschamps opted to rest him for the entirety of the game despite being listed on the bench for the game.
Anyway, following an intense game in Leipzig, both teams couldn’t be separated and that indicates that the battle for who would top the group is still on, as the Netherlands have amassed 4 points, likewise France, with the two teams also having a +1 goal difference.
France face Poland in their final group game, while the Netherlands tackles Austria, who are also looking at advancing to the last 16 of the 2024 European Championship.
Both matches will be played on Tuesday, June 25, 2024, by 05:00 PM (WAT) and it will be fascinating to see how the group shapes up.
