France and the Netherlands moved closer to securing a spot in the Euro 2024 last 16 with a 0-0 draw in Leipzig, a match that lacked excitement in the absence of Kylian Mbappe.
The French captain remained on the bench, nursing a broken nose from their previous 1-0 victory over Austria.
The game saw some controversial moments, including Xavi Simons having a goal disallowed for the Dutch, and Antoine Griezmann missing two significant opportunities for France.
This stalemate leaves both teams tied at the top of Group D with four points each, one point ahead of Austria, who defeated Poland 3-1 earlier on Friday.
As a result, Poland was eliminated following the draw between France and the Netherlands.
France is set to play against Poland, while the Netherlands will face Austria in the final group matches on Tuesday.
In their previous qualifying encounters, France had won both matches with Mbappe scoring four of their six goals.
However, this time, the match began with Dutch fans filling most of the Leipzig Stadium and their team nearly capitalizing on French uncertainty early on.
Jeremie Frimpong’s pace got him a clear shot on goal, but his attempt was thwarted by Mike Maignan.
Coach Didier Deschamps made a single change, replacing Mbappe with Aurelien Tchouameni to bolster the midfield.
Without their star player, the French team relied on Griezmann for creativity.
The temporary captain forced a save from Bart Verbruggen with a long-range effort but missed a crucial chance before halftime after a clever move involving Adrien Rabiot.
Maignan had to be alert to save Cody Gakpo’s low drive, keeping the scores level.
In the second half, France had more opportunities, with Marcus Thuram narrowly missing the target and Tchouameni heading over the bar.
Griezmann’s struggles continued as he failed to convert another excellent chance, with Verbruggen saving his weak shot.
The match’s key moment came when Simons scored for the Dutch, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside due to Denzel Dumfries interfering with Maignan’s view.
A lengthy VAR check upheld the decision, much to the relief of the French side.
Deschamps opted not to risk Mbappe and instead introduced Olivier Giroud and Kingsley Coman, but neither could find a breakthrough.
Both teams seemed content with a draw, which will likely be sufficient to see them progress to the knockout stages, thanks to the tournament’s format allowing the best third-placed teams to advance.
