France 4-0 Netherlands: Mbappé’s brace ruins Koeman’s comeback(+ VIDEO HIGHLIGHT)

France 4-0 Netherlands: Mbappé’s brace ruins Koeman’s comeback

France won their first match after their World Cup final defeat in style, defeating the Netherlands 4-0 at the Stade de France and starting their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign with a bang. Antoine Griezmann gave France an early stage lead after being dropped by the man chosen above him as captain, Kylian Mbappe, before Dayot Upamecano doubled the lead within eight minutes from Jasper Cillessen’s free-kick miss.

Mbappé scored three midway through the first half before netting a stunning late double as Didier Deschamps’ men claimed their first Group B victory.

The Dutch had lost several players to a virus in the run-up to the match but will have fallen even sicker by the start of their qualifying campaign and Ronald Koeman’s second spell as head coach, which saw Memphis Depay save a penalty in the final. get even worse.

After all the fuss over the France captaincy, it was somehow fitting that Mbappé fed the ball to Griezmann with his foot down and hard to Cillessen’s right to put the home side ahead in the second minute. It was 2-0 up soon after when Cillessen failed to clear Griezmann’s free kick from the right, with the ball bouncing off Upamecano and rolling into the net through the Dutch goalkeeper’s legs.

Mbappé scored his first goal as captain in the 21st minute when he played the ball to Aurelien Tchouameni on the halfway line, before racing down the left side of the box to get a back pass from the Real Madrid midfielder – offloaded by Randal Kolo Muani – first let’s finish quietly.

Koeman stepped in to replace Manchester United mercenary Wout Weghorst for Kenneth Taylor after just 33 minutes, and the Netherlands were at least able to avoid further damage, despite Mike Maignan never really being tested in the French goal. 

That was until Depay’s sloppy back pass found Mbappe, who teased Jurrien Timber and Daley Blind before bringing down Cillessen for 4-0 in the 88th minute, while Depay saw his stoppage-time penalty saved by Maignan to finish off a miserable round of rounding for the Dutchman.

What does it mean? France is eager to join Germany. 

While Griezmann was disappointed by Deschamps’ decision to hand over the armband to Mbappé, he hid it well, scoring after just one minute and 55 seconds.
It was the fastest goal for Les Bleus since 11 October 2006, when Louis Saha scored against the Faroe Islands after 37 seconds.
The Netherlands had 59% possession and 11 shots to France’s 12, but their slow start gave them too much to do.

Captain Kylian more than capable… France hadn’t had a three-goal lead so early in a game since December 17, 1953, against Luxembourg, when it lasted just 10 minutes during an 8-0 run.
Mbappé excelled in his first game as captain by leading from up front, grabbing five shots, four more than any of his teammates, and catching 18 passes into the opposition half, with only Tchouameni registering as many.

Koeman hopes that the Orange of the future

Returning Dutch manager Koeman gave youngsters Lutsharel Geertruida, Xavi Simons and Taylor their first senior international starts, but it never felt like a game out of inexperience, with Taylor taking just half an hour, albeit quite tough.
It was the first time since October 2015 that three players were making their full Netherlands debuts in the same match, and Koeman hopes the experience will at least be instructive for them and the rest of the squad.

VIDEO HIGHLIGHT

And What Next?

France travel to the Republic of Ireland on Monday, while the Netherlands host Gibraltar on the same day as Group B continues.