Dutch team Orange shaken and dismayed by unsportsmanlike behavior in a football match
Football enthusiasts from the Netherlands cause mayhem at the next massive EURO party in Leipzig, even heavy rain and thunderstorms can't stop them. The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) once again causes trouble. After the referee disallows a goal for the Netherlands, managers and players are infuriated. A prominent player in France is in a state of desperation.
Street vendors are profiting well. Near the corner flag in front of the orange section, beer mugs are clinking together. It's almost like a fairytale land. Three Euros are worth it. The problem is that these mugs are getting kicked onto the grass with vulgar insults and loud whistles, and no one wants to collect them.
Hysterical scenes unfold during the first 0:0 of this football EURO in Leipzig between top contender France and near-top contender Netherlands. In a crucial moment for Les Bleus, Xavi Simons scores out of nowhere for the Dutch leadership. Thousands of Dutch fans erupt in cheers, tossing their beer mugs onto the field. They hug each other, sing. Kylian Mbappé, France's leading scorer, who is sidelined due to a broken nose and is expected to play a role later, is displayed on the video screen. Dutch fans hurl insults at him.
But then, an abrupt whistle from referee Anthony Taylor ruins the atmosphere: The VAR checks the goal because Denzel Dumfries was allegedly offside and supposedly obstructed the goalkeeper of the Tricolore, Mike Maignan.
Dumfries questions the VAR decision
Tense moments that turn into minutes. The Dutch fans are becoming impatient, as the "Goal Check" takes a long time. Eventually, the boos and whistles towards the referee grow louder. But the Englishman remains calm, turns off the communication in his ear - and disallows the goal. Now there is no stopping the sea of orange. They feel their goal has been stolen. Fraud. Something very rotten has occurred. First, shock spreads across their faces, then the beer mugs fly. On the other side of the field, the many French fans cheer.
In truth, the decision by Taylor and his team is justifiable. However, it is controversial. Above all, the lengthy review surprises. Especially since the impartial referee does not even look at the scene afterwards. Orange coach Ronald Koeman criticizes after the game at the press conference: "Yes, it's hard to accept this disallowed goal. I don't believe Denzel (Dumfries) hindered the goalkeeper. The goalkeeper was simply too late to react." The head coach does not believe "it took five minutes" before the referee's decision. The long time was a sign that Taylor and his team "didn't know what they were doing".
Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk sees it similarly at the microphone: "In my opinion, Xavi Simons' goal, which was disallowed, was a valid goal." The supposed culprit Dumfries finds the VAR decision "very questionable".
Even in England, the home country of the referees, the VAR use becomes a sensation. The "Guardian" calls the behavior of referees from the Premier League "embarrassing". At the BBC, striker icons Alan Shearer and Wayne Rooney, as well as the brilliant Gary Lineker, agree that the goal should have stood. Shearer explains that Keeper Maignan had no chance to jump after Simons' shot.
Dutch Fans Turn Leipzig into a wild party
The Orange party is over. But the day in Leipzig is previously filled with the best Ballermann atmosphere. Or better: King's Day atmosphere. Thousands of wild Dutch fans, who had already turned Hamburg into a mad party with their first game, show once again what they do best.
The partygoers. They refuse to let rain and thunderstorms dampen their spirits. They play football in the rain, sing to their team and their raucous invasion to the rhythm of loud music and bright orange fireworks. They jump to Snollebollekes' EM hit "Links rechts" so violently from left to right that the houses of the Saxon state capital seem to tremble. Is it now Ballermann or Après-Ski? Who cares, the Dutch say - and that's probably fitting - "carnavalscrackers" to that. Even football legends Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit, and Johan Cruyff dance on the streets of Leipzig as papier-mâché statues.
Many Dutch fans confirm the stereotype and have traveled with their caravans to Saxony and decorate the camping sites of the region in the Netherlands' colors. But a French fan march also makes its way to the stadium. 25,000 football fans instead of the initially predicted 80,000 have reportedly made their way to Leipzig according to city administration.
However, it's not just the VAR decision that causes the Dutch party to crash. The Dutch team is largely outplayed by the French team. "I don't think we played well in possession," says coach Koeman and complains mainly about many ball losses.
Dutch Legends Call the Football "shitty"
Oranje legend Pierre van Hooijdonk picks up another pearl from the depths of the Dutch football lexicon at the public-service broadcaster NOS: "schijtbakkenvoetbal"! Together with Rafael van der Vaart, he expresses his annoyance at the conservative tactics at the end of the game on both sides: "I think that was shitty football - a bit boring football," says van Hooijdonk. "Not only from France, because they played so conservatively with so many good players, but also from Orange, from which I actually expected much more. I would have liked to see Joshua Zirkzee or Donyell Malen in this game."
The evening kicks off with an electrifying atmosphere, both teams' supporters show enthusiasm from the get-go, and neither side concedes during the initial 90 minutes. Jeremie Frimpong, starting ahead of Joey Veerman for Bayer Leverkusen, scores the first goal, but misses the target with a sloppy attempt.
The first half remains tense, with France pushing hard and causing the Dutch fans numerous closecalls without VAR intervening. Mbappe, their star striker, seems absent, and Griezmann from Atletico Madrid, expected to fill the void, misses numerous chances.
In the third minute, a 33-year-old takes a powerful shot from afar, and eleven minutes later, he misses the first good opportunity. Marcus Thuram navigates the box brilliantly with a hack through Adrien Rabiot, who is left unconscious, but Griezmann makes a mistake in his shot. Only twenty seconds later, the backup captain gets another chance as he beats van Dijk to the ball, but the ball slips past the left post.
Griezmann in despair
The French spectators sense trouble without their star player, Mbappe, who is only on the bench. As the game progresses, they struggle to find the back of the net, just like in their match against Austria, where an own goal by Mbappe secured the victory. No player in the squad has scored in the past 180 minutes, making them the least effective team in terms of goal-scoring at the EM.
Many praised France's offensive before the tournament, but it seems overly dependent on Mbappe's long balls, having provided four of the six goals against the Dutch in the two EM qualifying matches. In the last 31 games for Les Bleus, he's scored 30 goals. One wonders what could have been if he'd been in Griezmann's position.
For instance, in the 65th minute, when Griezmann finally succumbs to his soccer shoe's bad luck: Through a fantastic combination between Thuram and Ousmane Dembélé, the ball reaches N'Golo Kanté, who expertly threads the ball through to Griezmann at the right post. However, he struggles to control the ball, falls as he did during the first clear-cut chance and weakly hits the ball towards the goal with his left foot. But the ball fails to cross the line that evening.
Netherlands under pressure
"I had two great chances, they stuck to my feet, and that's unfortunate. We played well defensively, tactically we were good, but the strikers just couldn't score, it will come," a dejected Griezmann says after the game.
The pressure is mounting for the Dutch, as they face the strong Austrians in their upcoming match on Tuesday. They're expected to finish at least second in Group D. With minutes to half-time, the Dutch spectators start raining beer cans, and a French player is heading towards the corner flag to clear away some plastic containers. It's Antoine Griezmann. He remains quiet, perhaps replaying the missed chances in his head. His corner kick also fails to deliver.
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After the disappointing VAR decision, Dutch fans direct their frustration towards France's star player, Kylian Mbappe, who is watching from the sideline due to injury. Meanwhile, Antoine Griezmann, another prominent French player, struggles on the field, left to lament missed opportunities and a lack of scoring prowess.
As the European Football Championship 2024 approaches, expectations are high for both the Netherlands and France. With strong squads and passionate fan bases, the two countries are anticipated to make significant impacts on the soccer stage, potentially meeting again in a high-stakes match.
