Netherlands 1-2 France
France have qualified for the Euro 2024 finals in Germany after beating the Netherlands in an entertaining clash at the Amsterdam Arena, as Kylian Mbappe scored a stunning brace to send Les Bleus fans home happy.
Euro 2024: Netherlands vs France was a game we expected to deliver, and it certainly did as Mbappe gave Les Bleus an early lead with a brilliantly struck volley. The Dutch fought hard but struggled to break down the French Resistance and when Mbappe hit a screamer early in the second half the visitors took a grip on the game, though when Quil Hartman pulled a goal back.
The Netherlands have a real battle on now to qualify.
Highlights of the game
Mbappe’s exploits in Ligue 1 have masked a stodgy start for Paris Saint-Germain but there is little doubt he’ll fire his team to the top pretty soon. And it was no surprise to anyone who saw the 0-1 score line after seven minutes to see it was Mbappe who had struck the first blow. Marseilles wingback Jonathan Clauss fired in a lovely cross which the France captain met with a superb volley and while Dutch keeper Bart Verbruggen got a faint touch he couldn’t keep Mbappe’s shot out.
The pre-match Netherlands vs France betting odds made Les Bleus the favourites to pick up three points and already there was a big hill for the Oranje to climb. And the host’s keeper was called into action again when he kept out a stinging drive from Aurelien Tchouameni.
The Oranje had a golden chance to equalise on the half hour, when the dangerous Denzil Dumfries put PSV man Joey Veerman in on goal but he blazed over. And the Dutch side, gong into half time with a one goal deficit were made to regret that miss soon in the second half.
And it was Mbappe again. If the first goal was class, then this one was world class. The PSG man played a clever one two with Adrien Rabiot and then hit a curling dipping shot, from outside the penalty area which beat Verbruggen all ends up.
The Netherlands fought back and thought they were level, on 56 minutes, when Donyell Malen converted a cross from Nathan Ake, but the Manchester City man had strayed marginally offside in the build up. Quil Hartman had a good chance to score when he met a cross from Jeremie Frimpong but he couldn’t keep his header down and then Malen turned brilliantly but couldn’t hit the target.
The Netherlands finally got their goal, on 83 minutes, when debutant Hartman played a lovely one-two with Stephen Bergwijn and fooled Mike Maignan, the France keeper, firing in at the near post when the stopper expected a cross.
The Dutch fans started to believe, but Mbappe almost silenced them when his shot cannoned back off the crossbar to deny him a hat-trick. France substitute Olivier Giroud controlled brilliantly before firing one wide in injury time but Les Bleus had done enough to open the door to Germany.
Key statistics
The first half Netherlands vs France highlights told a story of France dominance with more possession and shots and France’s new centre back pairing of Lucas Hernandez and Ibrahima Konate had a fairly quiet time. By full time Les Bleus had enjoyed 57 per cent possession and won the shot counts by eight to five, and five to three on target.
Mbappe’s two goals made him the third highest France scorer in history, passing Michel Platini and he will surely become the number one in the near future. He now has 42 goals from 72 internationals and is still only 24 years of age.
France have won five of the last six meetings against the Netherlands who haven’t won this fixtures since 2018. and now Les Bleus have won six from seven games in 2023 while the Oranje have won three from seven.
What’s next?
Next up for the Netherlands it’s a trip to the APOP Arena on Monday to play Greece who beat the Republic of Ireland 2-0 to take second place in the group. That is now a huge game for the both teams.
Meanwhile France have a friendly game at home to Scotland, who lost their Euro qualifier against Spain on Thursday night, but are in a great position to qualify for Germany 24. In the meantime there’s plenty more international action for SBOTOP fans to enjoy over the weekend, with the pick of the matches Norway vs Spain on Sunday. Enjoy!
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