Image Source: Alamy Stock Photo
Euro 2024
Group D
Netherlands v France
Red Bull Arena
Leipzig, Germany
Friday, 21 June 2024
Kick-off is at 21h00
France will face a stern test of their Euro 2024 title credentials when they go up against the Netherlands at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig on Friday, June 21.
Les Bleus are amongst the favourites to lift the trophy on German soil and they made a winning start to the tournament after beating Austria 1-0 at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Dusseldorf on June 17.
Didier Deschamps' side needed an own-goal from Maximilian Wober to edge the Burschen after the defender inadvertently headed Kylian Mbappe's cross into his own net on 39 minutes.
The Euro 2016 runners-up will be hoping to fare better than they did in the 2020 edition, having crashed out in the round of 16 following a 5-4 loss to Switzerland on penalties.
Deschamps was pleased with the combative spirit shown by his players and wants more of the same against the Dutch, although he admits they don't have much time to prepare for their next Group D clash.
Image Source: Alamy Stock Photo
"It's always good to start off with a win against an opponent that is very good, with a lot of athletic qualities, who put a lot of pressure on us," he said.
"We could have managed certain situations better, but overall I would assess the match as a positive. We had to fight. And this is important.
"We need to keep that up for the rest of the tournament. I'm satisfied with our first victory. We have 36 hours now to recuperate. I don't think the computer was very nice to us."
The Oranje were also made to work for their 2-1 victory over Poland at the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg on June 16 which took them top of the group on goal difference.
Ronald Koeman's side found themselves trailing to Adam Buksa's 16th-minute opener, but Cody Gakpo restored parity on 29 minutes before Wout Weghorst completed the comeback win seven minutes from time.
The Netherlands have come close on a few occasions since winning their one and only piece of silverware in the 1988 edition, having reached the semi-finals in 1992, 2000 and 2004.
Koeman, who was part of the Euro '88 title-winning team, admitted it wasn't their best performance against the Eagles, but he believes the win will give the players a confidence boost.
Image Source: Alamy Stock Photo
"It was dangerous for us but we were lucky and we scored a second goal ... I think the final result increased our confidence today," he said.
"We've had two friendly matches and we scored eight times. This time we should have scored four times in an hour and that's the big difference. If we had scored you'd have said we're at the level of Germany.
"It was not 100 per cent good, we should have scored before of course. I've watched a series of teams and seen some similarities, because these teams also had ball possession. It will be a great tournament."
Head-to-Head (Last Five Meetings)
Matches - 5
Netherlands wins - 1
France wins - 4
Draws - 0
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