France grabbed the first win of their Nations League campaign against the Netherlands.
The summer was special for France as they won their first World Cup away from home turf with an exciting, vibrant young team, although Didier Deschamps’ tactics did their best to dampen the enthusiasm. This was their first home game since the tournament, so it was a party atmosphere post-match as the players and fans revelled in the excitement of celebrating the tournament victory. In regards to the match, Barcelona had a notable presence as three players were involved across both sides.
Deschamps pragmatic set-up once again showed its value as the Netherlands struggled to break them down because N’Golo Kante and Blaise Matuidi screened the defence well while Benjamin Pavard, Raphael Varane, Samuel Umtiti and Lucas Hernandez formed a formidable back line. They limited the opposition to seven shots and two on target.
France started intensely with Kylian Mbappe having an early opportunity, which was saved well by Jasper Cillessen at his near post. He scored the opener, though, in the 14th minute as Matuidi took advantage of Quincy Promes’ poor header and crossed for the 19-year-old to tap in at the far post. Mbappe, Umtiti and Olivier Giroud all had chances to extend the lead before half-time, but Cillessen was equal to them.
Les Bleus were content to cede control in the second half due to their defensive solidity and rapid transitions, so the Dutch were able to work their way back into the game. They had a brief period of major pressure midway through the second half as Georginio Wijnaldum fired wide from a good position, but they were able to quickly regain possession and Ryan Babel fired home from Kenny Tete’s cross.
The equaliser was against the balance of play based on the quality of chances for both sides, however, France didn’t take long to respond as Giroud managed to get ahead of Virgil Van Dijk and volley Benjamin Mendy’s cross past Cillessen. It was mostly comfortable for France after that point as they absorbed Orange’s pressure.
This win meant that France are unbeaten in the Nations League so far because they were held to a dismal draw in Munich by Germany. Umtiti once again put in a solid performance alongside Varane, which is a good sign for Barcelona. Ousmane Dembele only came on as a late substitute and didn’t have enough time to influence proceedings as Deschamps doesn’t see him as a starter.
Cillessen showed his quality with a number of saves to keep the score respectable. It’s a surprise other clubs haven’t swooped in to sign him because he is too good of a player to have as a back-up even for Barcelona, although he won’t be usurping Marc-Andre ter Stegen anytime soon.
The Netherlands are going through a rebuilding phase under Ronald Koeman, so young talents are being given key roles such as Matthijs de Ligt and Frenkie De Jong. It was the first time De Jong has come up against top quality opposition and he certainly impressed because the occasion didn’t faze him as he was his usual composed self. However, performances like these mean that his value continues to go up.