After scoring the winning goal against the Netherlands, Captain Mbappé’s victory left the Oranje team feeling blue.
Kylian Mbappé’s outstanding performance as the new France captain, leading his team to a resounding 4-0 victory against the Netherlands, marks a promising start to their UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying campaign.
The Oranje team faced difficulties prior to Ronald Koeman’s return as their manager, losing five players to a virus outbreak, while France, unaffected by their World Cup final defeat to Argentina, dominated the game with a goal from Antoine Griezmann assisted by Kylian Mbappé in the first two minutes, and Dayot Upamecano adding a second goal shortly after, showing Griezmann’s frustration at not being captain had no impact on his performance.
France’s fast start and Mbappé’s clinical finishing helped them maintain their momentum, as the young forward capitalized on a defensive error to complete his brace, while the Netherlands’ efforts to respond were frustrated by Depay’s missed chance to score.
Despite their efforts to mount a comeback, the Netherlands struggled to find their rhythm in the second half, with only Depay’s free-kick testing Maignan, while Mbappé added insult to injury with his third goal of the night, deceiving Timber with a dummy before slotting the ball home, and the Oranje’s misery was compounded as Depay’s penalty was saved in stoppage time, leaving them with no consolation in a disappointing match at the Stade de France.
France’s dominant performance against the Netherlands in their UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying match highlighted their status as favorites to top Group B, while the Oranje’s defeat marked a disappointing start to Ronald Koeman’s second tenure as manager, but they can still look forward to their upcoming home game against Gibraltar, and take some solace in the fact that this was their first loss within 90 minutes since June 2021.
