The Blues will have to wait to validate their qualification for the round of 16 of the Euro. Without Kylian Mbappé, preserved after his broken nose suffered against Austria (1-0) on Monday evening, the France team conceded a draw against the Netherlands (0-0) this Friday evening.
Volunteers, Antoine Griezmann and his teammates lacked efficiency against the Dutch who could also have surprised them with a goal from Xavi Simons, refused for an offside position by Denzel Dumfries (69th). The French captain in the evening increased his attempts and found himself at the heart of the Blues’ two major actions (14th, 65th), without adjusting his sights.
The match: 0-0
Established in the right lane by Ronald Koeman, Jeremie Frimpong immediately put Mike Maignan into action with a shot from a tight angle pushed back for a corner (1st). The Blues goalkeeper proved decisive a second time against Cody Gakpo and his vicious curling shot (16th).
Regularly put in danger in a wild start to the match, the Blues still had the biggest opportunity of the first period. After a first attack (4th), Antoine Griezmann was surprised by the forced altruism of Adrien Rabiot. Cleverly found in front of goal by Marcus Thuram, the Turinese tried to serve Griezmann, present at his side in the area, rather than taking his chance in front of goal. A pain shared by his partners over the minutes.
6
The French team has not won in any of the last 6 matches started without Kylian Mbappé, for 4 draws and 2 defeats.
Refocused and in search of a third goal with the Blues (21 caps), Marcus Thuram increased his attempts (28th, 60th) until his replacement by Olivier Giroud (74th), without success. Interesting in his game of throws with his back to goal, the Milanese was at the origin of an action similar to Rabiot’s first miss. Present on the second ball on an attempted deflection from Thuram for Ousmane Dembélé, the omnipresent N’Golo Kanté found Griezmann when he could still have tried his luck. The Madrilenian’s weak shot was repelled by the left leg of Bart Verbruggen, who came out to meet him (65th).
Repeated misses that the Blues almost paid for with a volley converted by Simons, positioned at number 10 this Friday. But the goal scored by the RB Leipzig player was refused by the VAR for a passive offside by Dumfries, which prevented Maignan from lying down on his left (70th). A free warning for the Blues, second in Group D for the moment (with 4 points, like the Netherlands), and who will have to avoid an unpleasant surprise against Poland on Tuesday evening.
The player: N’Golo Kanté has multiplied again
That the recent doubts have already faded away. In an evening where the dominant theme was waste, Kanté was, for the second time in a row, elected man of the match by UEFA. A fair reward for the Al-Ittihad midfielder, who once again stood out for his constant activity. If the system used by the Blues changed with the return of Aurélien Tchouaméni and Rabiot’s shift to the left, Kanté retained his titanic slaughter.
Dominant in the duels (4 won out of 6 played) and rather fair with the ball (57 successful passes out of 64 attempted), the 33-year-old also tried to contribute offensively. He could, even should, have tried his luck instead of looking for Griezmann when the ball came back to his feet at the entrance to the area (65th). But how can we blame the man who fills the gaps and multiplies the races without exhausting himself. Like a symbol, he also signs the last attempt of the Blues (90th + 1). An additional symbol of his limitless generosity.
