The highly anticipated showdown between the two heavyweights of group D ended in a stalemate, making it the first goalless draw of the tournament.
A bruised Kylian Mbappe was resigned to the bench with France manager Didier Deschamps choosing not to risk his star player, limiting the overall threat posed by Les Bleus.
With a tight encounter from two excellent footballing nations, here are our takeaways from the game.
The Netherlands have improved since qualifying
These two sides are no strangers, having faced off against each other twice in their qualifying campaign for the European championships.
France came out on top both times, with an aggregate score of 6-0, showing a real domination over their Dutch counterparts.
Many expected that trend to continue and predicted a comfortable win for Les Bleus when the teams met last night, however that wasn’t to be the case.
Oranje have obviously grown and improved as they managed to keep a shutout, whilst providing a dangerous attacking threat of their own.
They arguably should have won the game, after taking the lead through Xavi Simons with 20 minutes to play, before eventually seeing the strike ruled out – but more on that later.
Overall, Holland will be the happier of the two sides, after righting the wrongs of their qualifying disappointments.
Kylian Mbappe is undeniably crucial for France’s success
France sorely missed Kylian Mbappe.
There is no simpler way to put it, because even when the newest galactico is having a rare off day in front of goal, his dynamism and electricity will always cause the opposition defence problems.
Despite good chances being put on a plate for the French attack, they simply could not score.
If the game had been of higher importance, Mbappe may have been risked, but the fact that Les Bleus struggled so much in his absence is a worrying sign.
Following his nose injury against Austria, which means the forward will now have to wear a protective face mask, Mbappe was rumoured to completely miss out on the squad for the Netherlands game but managed to make the bench.
The signs are therefore promising that he should be fit for their final group match against Poland, who have become the first country to be eliminated from the competition.
In 2022, Mbappe almost dragged his country to successive World Cup triumphs, becoming only the second played in history to score a hat-trick in the final of the tournament.
Similar reliance can not be placed on the captain’s shoulders again, because any slight issue may derail the nations chances of continental glory.
VAR controversy strikes again
VAR has been rightly praised at Euro 2024 for quick, correct and overall positive implementation, which has limited incorrect decisions whilst not drawing out the games in length.
Despite that, Antony Taylor brought some of the Premier League’s inefficiency with him last night, courtesy of an unusually long VAR check, that left both sets of fans in suspense.
When Xavi Simons saw his strike ruled out due to Denzel Dumfries supposedly impeding goalkeeper Mike Maignan’s ability to dive, the video assistant stepped in.
The decision was upheld after almost three minutes and whilst the call may have been correct, the wait time was not what the European fans were used to and it felt all a bit too familiar for those watching in the UK.
Debate was bound to occur after the game, with both managers obviously taking their teams side in the argument, with Deschamps labelling the case a ‘no brainer’.
Ronald Koeman believed that his team’s goal should have stood, but wasn’t overly animated regarding the situation and seemed content with a draw.
No matter what, the in-game delay was an anomaly so far as Euro 2024 is concerned and the hope is that it will stay as just that.
Anyone could win the 2024 European championships
Going into this summer’s Euros, countries such as France and England were touted as strong favourites to win the tournament.
However, so far we’ve seen two unimpressive performances from the pair, whilst host nation Germany and three-time champions Spain have been the standout performers instead.
Yet still, no team has convincingly looked a cut above the rest across both of their opening games, with no clear favourite to choose from at this stage.
France’s clash with the Netherlands only goes further to show that there is very little to pick between the top footballing nations these days, especially in tournament football.
As the group stages end and the knockout stages commence, there are still so many questions to be answered.
Will Southgate finally get his system right? Can France perform without Kylian Mbappe? Will nations who have had a quiet start such as Italy and Belgium grow stronger as the tournament goes on?
All these queries will soon be answered, with Euro 2024 shaping up to be one to remember.
