Netherlands v France LIVE: Euro 2024 result and final score after Xavi Simons goal denied by VAR check
Netherlands 0-0 France: Kylian Mbappe watched on from the bench as Simons saw a late strike disallowed for offside and Euro 2024 endured its first goalless draw
France and the Netherlands played out a 0-0 draw in their second Group D game of Euro 2024, a result that all but guaranteed both teams a place in the last 16.
Antoine Griezmann, captaining the side with Kylian Mbappe on the bench after breaking his nose against Austria, had an excellent chance in each half but twice stumbled over the ball.
Both sets of fans had cause to celebrate - the Dutch when Xavi Simons found the net in the second half and the French when the effort was ruled out for offside - and, despite both sides pushing for a winner, they had to be content with a point each.
France and the Netherlands are level on four points at the top of the group standings, with Austria on three, while Poland have no points and cannot advance. France face Poland in their final group game with the Dutch taking on Austria.
Follow all the latest on Mbappe and then updates from the game itself with our blog below:
Euro 2024’s first goalless draw sums up France’s biggest problem
There’s no masking the truth from this first 0-0 of Euro 2024. France, the true favourites, currently lack end product. It does raise doubt over whether they can end this tournament as European champions, although it only adds narrative weight to Kylian Mbappe’s eventual return from this broken nose.
He forced France’s only goal of Euro 2024 so far, and that was from an Austria defender. A promising Netherlands team did have the ball in the back of the net, although that was ruled out in the game’s most debated moment.
That wasn’t to say this was a bad match. It was often enthralling, although lacked more than the finish and the tournament’s outstanding player. That real impetus wasn’t there. Some of that may have been circumstantial.
Euro 2024’s first goalless draw sums up France’s biggest problem
Netherlands 0-0 France: Both teams ensured they progressed to the last-16 but Les Bleus escaped with a draw after Xavi Simons saw a strike disallowed for offside
Netherlands vs France player ratings as stars underwhelm and Xavi Simons strike is controversially disallowed
Favourites France drew with the Netherlands in Leipzig in the first goalless draw of Euro 2024.
Both sides were seeking the three points that would have ensured qualification to the last 16, but they were guilty of lacking imagination and cutting-edge in a pedestrian first half, with Adrien Rabiot wasting the best chance of the first 45 after choosing to pass to Antoine Griezmann when the shot was an easier option.
With Kylian Mbappe out of the starting line-up and the Netherlands opting for a more defensive gameplan, the second half started in much the same way, though it burst into life after some dangerous French attacks and a disallowed goal for the Netherlands. Xavi Simons thought he had rifled a rebound past Maignan, only for it to be disallowed as Dumfries was deemed to be interfering with play from an offside position.
Netherlands vs France player ratings as Euro 2024 stars underwhelm
Netherlands 0-0 France: The top sides in Group D play out the competition’s first 0-0 in a cagey encounter in Leipzig, with a Xavi Simons winner controversially ruled out for offside
Here’s the post-match reaction from Ronald Koeman:
The Netherlands coach said: “The result is a bit disappointing, but if we think about the whole game in some parts we lost ball possession when we shouldn’t have, and that wasn’t great.
“There was too much space between our lines and we could have done better in the second half.”
France have been poor at Euro 2024- so why are they judged differently to England?
They might have been to a major international tournament final in the not-too-distant past, but a tame start to the Euro 2024 group stage has been enough to start questions of team selection, adventurism and whether they really are among the favourites to triumph in Germany this summer.
Even though they’re still unbeaten after two games, and with the weakest team left to play, the performances haven’t been enough. They haven’t been convincing throughout. They haven’t shown that the best players are playing to their best form, and so there is room for criticism.
France have been poor so why are they judged differently to England?
Didier Deschamps seems to expect his side to improve but Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions have an identical record so far
Why was Kylian Mbappe on the bench for France against the Netherlands?
France drew 0-0 with the Netherlands as captain Kylian Mbappe watched on from the bench in Leipzig in the first goalless stalemate of Euro 2024.
Mbappe sustained a broken nose in France’s opening win against Austria and the superstar forward was only fit enough to make the bench as Didier Deschamps’ side failed to impress in the Group D clash.
Mbappe’s collision with Austria defender Kevin Danso could have put the France captain’s participation in the rest of the tournament in doubt after being taken to hospital in Dussedorf, but a scan confirmed that he did not require surgery.
Why is Kylian Mbappe on the bench for France against the Netherlands?
France have suffered a major injury blow for their clash with the Netherlands
FT Netherlands 0-0 France
N’Golo Kante has been named Uefa’s official man of the match in both of France’s Euro 2024 games. He hadn’t played for his country in almost two years before featuring in their warm-up friendlies for this tournament.
FT Netherlands 0-0 France
Here’s the big moment from the game. Decide for yourselves whether it should have been a goal, it’s easy to see why the officials ruled it out but did they get it right?
FT Netherlands 0-0 France
Tonight’s contest ended a run of 50 Euros matches without a goalless draw, stretching back to England facing Scotland at the 2020 edition.
FT Netherlands 0-0 France
Wayne Rooney and Alan Shearer give their thoughts on the disallowed goal. Rooney said: “There’s no way that should be disallowed, I think it’s a goal and it was frustrating with how long it took.”
Shearer added: “Disappointing in front of goal particularly from a French point of view. They were really poor in front of goal.”
FT Netherlands 0-0 France
Here are the thoughts of Alan Shearer on BBC One: “I think France have been very fortunate here. When you see the angle behind the goal.
“The goalkeeper cannot dive for that with the body position he was in.”
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