France missed Kylian Mbappe in a wasteful game against the Netherlands. However, leaving their star player on the bench rather than putting him at riʂk so soon after brҽaking his nose may have been smart if he comes back to help Les Bleus go far in Euro 2024.
It was Mbappe’s turn to play. He had scored six goals in five games against the Dutch in the past and was ready to do it again.
But he didn’t play as a replacement in the tournament’s first 0-0 draw, which was disappointing given how good both teams were, but both are now on four points and almost certainly make it to the next round.
When Mbappe wasn’t on the field, 33-year-old Antoine Griezmann became captain and played in Mbappe’s attacking spot.
He had a lot of chances, but he missed them all. Twice, he had the ball caught under his feet right in front of the goal.
France had 58% of the ball, made 614 passes compared to 353 for the Netherlands, and had 16 more shots on goal than the Netherlands. The team may not be too worried about their wastefulness, though, since they had a lot of control over the game and Mbappe is likely to come back.
The forward might not play in the last group game against Poland because he is tired.
Mbappe, who is 25, will have something to show when he gets back on the field. He has never scored at the Euros, and in 2021, his penalty was saved in a shootout against Switzerland, which meant France lost and went out in the round of 16.
On the other hand, he has 12 goals in World Cups.
Lacking Spark Without Kylian Mbappe
Griezmann missed a header, several shots, and those two close-range chances that were blocked. Marcus Thuram also missed his chances, and Olivier Giroud, who came on in the second half, didn’t make much of an effect.
France looked tired at times, even though they had the ball most of the time. They may have been lucky to play against a Dutch team that didn’t have a real thrҽat up front to match the strength of their defense, which was led by Virgil van Dijk.
Denzel Dumfries was offside next to goalie Mike Maignan and was thought to be interfering with play, so Xavi Simons’ goal was called off. This was disappointing for the Netherlands.
It looked like both teams were almost content with a draw at times, thinking that four points would be enough.
With Poland already out, France’s next game is against Poland, while the Dutch play Austria, it looks like Didier Deschamps’ team will be the stronger of the two giants and win Group D and get a better draw in the knockout stage.