Jun 21, 2024, 17:01 ET
The teams delivered vertical play with options in front of the frame, however, the goal did not appear in Leipzig Arena
Incompetent in the art of scoring, with two glaring errors in the definition of Antoine Griezmann and without Kylian Mbappé on the field of play, France couldn’t handle them Netherlands and both teams signed the first goalless draw of the Euro Cup (0-0), in a match marked by the doubts that the team led by Didier Deschamps maintains.
France He needed to hit the table after his bad image against Austria. Their pyrrhic victory (0-1) with a sad own goal from Wober required the French team to change a record quite far from what a favorite to win the Euro Cup should have. Luckily (or not) for Deschamps, during the days before the clash the only topic of conversation was Mbappé’s nose. His nasal fracture, which became a national problem, hid all the problems he left behind. France in his debut.
Finally, Mbappé did not appear in the lineup. She is not even with the mask so photographed on the eve of the crash. The protection, with the French flag drawn on it, became black due to UEFA regulations and the Real Madrid player wore it during the warm-up. But at the beginning, he didn’t go beyond there. He sat on the bench with the rest of his teammates and Deschamps opted for Tchouaméni in an apparently more conservative move.
In front, Koeman removed Veerman from the midfield, delayed Simons and placed Frimpong as a great novelty. He stuck to his guns in the face of pressure to give the starting job to Werghorst, the hero against Poland. And at first, the duel seemed to work for the Netherlandswhich as soon as he took it from the center of the field was about to score a play like the one in the final that they lost against Germany in the 1974 World Cup.
Then, it was Cruyff who caused a penalty a minute into the game after Netherlands, from the kick-off, moved the ball without any rival touching it until the acceleration of the Dutch genius that caused the maximum penalty. Fifty years later, Koeman’s team came close to achieving a similar goal. He served from the center, touched the ball without the French sniffing it and it all ended in a one-on-one that Frimpong missed against Maignan.
The scare for France It was important. It was not the best way to begin his redemption from the errors in his premiere. However, she recovered well. Overall, he managed to win the match. Kanté looks like he did in 2018, little by little he recovers the best version of himself; Tchouaméni provided some stability and balance; and Griezmann, especially Griezmann, woke up as required after his erratic match against Austria.
Of course, he stretched without any luck, because he missed one of the clearest chances he has probably ever had. After warning with a shot from outside the area that Verbruggen repelled, he found himself with a monumental scoring option. It was Thuram, who acted as a buoyant for Van Dijk, who caused his partner’s poor fortune. He teamed up with Rabiot, who instead of finishing the job, gave the ball to Griezmann. The athletic attacker, under the goal, got tangled with the ball and failed to make it 0-1.
It was a disaster, but nothing to blame the French star for. Without a doubt, she was one of the best on his team. He only lacked the success to destabilize a rival who had his chances with the attacks of Gakpo, the most dangerous of Koeman’s men. While Schouten and Reijnders fought a tremendous battle to govern the midfield with Kanté and Tchouaméni, Gakpo, with his two teammates almost always defeated, managed to run out on several occasions. One of them was closed with an attempt from outside the area that Maignan saved as best he could and the Netherlands were left without a prize.
Going through the booth didn’t change anything. Although France It continued to show itself as a flat team, which transmitted almost nothing, at least it worked based on individual arrangements and with the same protagonists. Tchouaméni continued to grow, Kanté maintained his level and Griezmann continued trying tirelessly, although again without luck.
Although it seemed incredible, another tremendous opportunity failed again. On this occasion, his opportunity followed a very clear header from Tchouaméni. Griezmann, in front of the goal, stumbled at the last moment and France He was once again left without a goal that he could have deserved. And on top of that, he received a huge scare with a goal from Simons disallowed for offside by Dumfries, which according to the VAR was bothering Maignan in the trajectory of the ball.
And there wasn’t much more. The changes did not affect the game. Not even the Weghorst entrance. Koeman brought out his hero with ten minutes left. But nothing happened with a solvent attacker because it was not the night to score goals. Without Mbappé, with his mask well kept on the bench, the game, and with Griezmann pointed out in that aspect, he became a masquerade in the art of finishing. Nobody hit the target and both teams added their fourth point to almost seal their qualification for the round of 16.
