France vs Netherlands Uefa Nations League
The match took place at Stad de France. France has won the last four matches against the Dutch team. The Dutch team had last beaten France on their home soil in 1936. Alphonse Areola started his first game at home.
The Dutch team started as 3-4-3 while French team as 4-2-3-1. The match started aggressively with Mbappe quickly getting at the end of a long pass which resulted in a counterattack. Mbappe whistled past the defender and got himself in a position to have a shot on goal. The keeper made the save blocking Mbappe’s shot.
The French team dominated the possession in the first half of the match. The Dutch side played from the back. The first goal came after a defensive error made by Quincy Promes when his backward header was intercepted by Blaise Matuidi who then crossed the ball into the box. Mbappe scored a simple tap-in goal.
The Dutch played a very conservative game. They parked the bus throughout the first half of the match with their wingers coming back to support the wing backs. Griezman looked more involved in the game. His passes created clear-cut chances for Mbappe and Hernandez who failed to convert those.
As always Kante did his work brilliantly in the midfield while Pogba’s distribution was also good. There was an instance when Wijnaldum was clearly fouled by Pavard but the Referee did not give the penalty. Frankie De Jong played positively throughout the match. Memphis Depay looked off color.
He missed a lot of chances often shooting wide off target. Benjamin Mendy came in as a substitute for Hernandez. The Dutch team dominated the second half but they couldn’t register even a single shot on target by 62 minutes. The first shot on target came when Tete whipped in a cross which resulted in a goal.
Tete had a lot of space on the right as Mendy was out of position. Ryan Babel scored the first goal. Alphonse Areola couldn’t stop his shot which was very close to his hands. Then the Dutch team totally dominated the possession and series of attacks on opposition’s goal. Varane stood tall and nullified those chances.
In the 75th minute of the Match, the French team scored their second goal out of nowhere. Benjamin Mendy’s pinpoint cross was converted by Olivier Giroud who scored his first goal after 698 minutes playing for his club and country. He scored it from the lap of Virgil van Dijk. The ball was that close to him yet he couldn’t clear it.
The Dutch goalkeeper also couldn’t stop the ball going into the net like Areola. He could have done better as the ball touched his hands.
The Dutch can take a lot of positives from this game. They did not play well in the first half but in the second half, they looked like a different team. They easily broke through the French defense. Gigi Wijnaldum was very pivotal in the midfield. He completed all his passes and made 7 recoveries.
So, this was France vs Netherlands Uefa Nations League Match Review. Also, take a look at Manchester City Season 2016-17.
