Netherlands 0-0 France: Netherlands and France edge closer to last 16 after goalless affair
France and the Netherlands played it safe in a 0-0 draw in Group D at Euro 2024 on Friday, leaving both teams in contention for a spot in the round of 16, while eliminating Poland.
With France captain Kylian Mbappe on the bench after suffering a broken nose in their opener, the game sparked only intermittently, never threatening to become a classic.
Both sides squandered chances and had periods of control, but neither could break through and eased off in the second half, seemingly content with a point.
The only drama after the break occurred when Dutchman Xavi Simons had the ball in the net, but it was disallowed because Denzel Dumfries, who was standing offside next to keeper Mike Maignan, was penalised, a decision confirmed by VAR after a lengthy review.
The decision enraged the Dutch fans crammed behind the goal, and a slew of objects were thrown onto the pitch.
“The position of Dumfries is offside, that's true. But he isn't disturbing the goalkeeper. And when that does not happen, then it's a legal goal in my opinion,” Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman said.
“Did they need five minutes to check it because it's so difficult? I don't understand this."
The result leaves the group open, but with four points each, France and the Netherlands will believe they have done enough to advance to the round of 16.
France will face Poland, who have no points and are the first team eliminated after losing 3-1 to Austria earlier on Friday, while the Netherlands will face Austria, who have three points, on Tuesday.
The saga surrounding Mbappe's selection dominated the build-up, with his appearance at training on Thursday wearing a tricolore mask interpreted as a sure sign he would be included.
Koeman must have felt relieved when the team sheets were revealed and Mbappe, who had four goals in his previous two games against the Dutch, was benched.
France manager Didier Deschamps chose not to risk his prized asset, but his team, who have scored just one goal in its first two games, clearly missed their captain.
"We did a lot of things, but unfortunately we didn't manage to find the back of the net," Deschamps said. "So, again, the only regret I have, regarding the number of chances we saw, is the fact that we didn't win," he added.
The first half was frenetic at times, with the Dutch coming close within the first minute when Jeremie Frimpong's effort was tipped around the post by Maignan, and Antoine Griezmann had an early shot palmed over at the other end.
France should have taken the lead minutes later when Adrien Rabiot was put through on goal but inexplicably passed to Griezmann, who was so taken aback by his generosity that he miscontrolled, stumbled, and lost possession.
With Mbappe out, Griezmann took over as France's main man, firing another chance wide and heading straight at keeper Bart Verbruggen from a Rabiot cross.
In contrast, the Netherlands appeared to lack a genuine threat, with most of their attacks fizzling out and all of their forwards failing to find a telling pass when the penalty area came into view.
France increased the tempo in the second half, with Marcus Thuram shooting wide on the hour, Aurelien Tchouameni heading over, and Verbruggen denying an off-balance Griezmann from close range.
The Dutch thought they had finally broken the deadlock when Simons fired into the net, only for their celebrations to be cut short by the linesman's flag and dashed by VAR.
With the four best third-place finishers advancing to the round of 16, the draw suited both sides, and the lack of jeopardy drained some of the life out of the game as it approached a draw.
SportsLigue