In a historic stalemate: The European Championship experiences its initial goalless match
In Group D, there's a heated matchup between two heavy favorites for the European Championship title: The Dutch and the French go head-to-head. Following a thrilling game, they end up tying points. The DutchScore manages to find the back of the net, but it gets denied after a detailed review.
France, without their star player Kylian Mbappe due to a nasal bone fracture, plays a tight game against the Netherlands in this high-stakes EM showdown. Despite having a protective mask ready, they tie with the Dutch at 0:0 in Leipzig. Both teams have amassed four points each, making it nearly guaranteed that they'll advance to the Round of 16.
The purported goal scored by Xavi Simons (69') for the Dutch is disallowed due to an offside position. The Tricolore, who have previously won the European Championship in 1984 and 2000, will face the eliminated Poles in Dortmund on Tuesday (6 pm) to secure the Group stage win. At the same time, the Dutch are up against Ralf Rangnick's Austrians in Berlin.
With Mbappe out, things get more defensive
Mbappe's nasal bone fracture sustained during the opening game against Austria (1:0) had been causing worry for the French team. The Federation kept quiet about his health for a while, but ultimately, he couldn't make it onto the field. In his absence, midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni from Real Madrid took his place on the bench.
Initially, the French team focused on defense, with Bayer Leverkusen's Jeremie Frimpong failing to get past Mike Maignan just 50 seconds into the game. Close behind, France scored a long-range shot from Antoine Griezmann (4'). They maintained pressure from thereon, with Adrien Rabiot and Griezmann each missing chances just a few meters from the goal, and Griezmann himself coming close from a central position (14%).
During the early stages, the game was intense, with Cody Gakpo testing Maignan from a distance (15%). As the minutes passed, the game lost some momentum, with both teams waiting for each other's mistakes. France's Marcus Thuram attempted a freestyle shot that flew over the goal (28%). Generally, the Dutch had the upper hand, but lacked finishing power in the final third. France continued to pose a threat in numerous set-piece situations.
Griezmann squanders a golden chance
Post-halftime, the Dutch took control, but France gained momentum. The notable former Borussia Dortmund player Thuram took a shot from 16 meters out (60%), Tchouameni headed powerfully over the goal (63%). A few minutes later, Griezmann misses a golden opportunity for the 1:0, failing to score against Oranje-keeper Bart Verbruggen (65%).
The Dutch team then encountered some bad luck: Xavi scored what appeared to be the winning goal (69%), but the video assistant referee ruled it out after a thorough examination – Denzel Dumfries was in an offside position and impeded the goalkeeper Maignan. Both teams continued their search for goals, with France amplifying the pressure towards the end.
