In a highly anticipated Euro 2024 Group C encounter, France and the Netherlands ended their match in a goalless draw, marking the first such result of this tournament. Both teams now have four points, leaving the group standings wide open as they head into their next fixtures.
With France captain Kylian Mbappe sidelined due to a broken nose suffered in the opener, the game saw moments of intensity without ever fully igniting into a classic. Mbappe’s absence was keenly felt, as he remained on the bench despite training with a tricolore mask earlier in the week, suggesting he might play.
The match had a frenetic start, with the Netherlands nearly scoring in the first minute. Jeremie Frimpong’s effort was tipped around the post by France’s keeper Mike Maignan. Shortly after, France’s Antoine Griezmann had an early shot palmed over by Dutch keeper Bart Verbruggen.
France missed a golden opportunity to take the lead when Adrien Rabiot, through on goal, inexplicably chose to pass to Griezmann, who miscontrolled and lost possession. Griezmann, stepping up in Mbappe’s absence, had several more chances but was repeatedly denied by Verbruggen.
In the second half, the tempo increased with France creating more chances. Marcus Thuram flashed a shot wide, Aurelien Tchouameni headed over, and an off-balance Griezmann was again thwarted by Verbruggen from close range.
The Netherlands thought they had finally broken the deadlock when Xavi Simons scored, but the goal was disallowed due to Denzel Dumfries being offside, confirmed after a lengthy VAR review. This decision kept the scoreline unchanged and left both teams sharing the points.
The result leaves Group C open, with France and the Netherlands each having four points. France will next face Poland, who have no points after losing to Austria, while the Netherlands will meet Austria, who have three points, on Tuesday.
Despite the goalless draw, both teams are optimistic about their chances of progressing to the last 16, setting the stage for an exciting conclusion to the group stage.