A tale of two halves as France awaken and dispatch spent Dutch
Four goals after the break secure 5-2 win and top spot in Group D for Les Bleus
France overcame a valiant Dutch effort and confirmed their status as serious tournament contenders as a 5-2 win sealed top spot in Group D and a Euro 2025 quarter-final against Germany.
The margins separating the teams in the ‘group of death’ were rendered brutally clear as France swept aside the Dutch after half-time. The Netherlands needed a three-goal victory to advance - or perhaps some help from Wales against England in the other Group D game on the night - but both proved too much to ask for.
Sandie Toletti, starting in place of Grace Geyoro, fired France ahead in the 22nd minute with a volley from the edge of the box.
Victoria Pelova provided an immediate response in the 26th minute. Pauline Peyraud-Magnin parried Chasity Grant’s volley to the Arsenal midfielder, who unleashed a curling strike into the top right corner. She had a hand in the Netherlands’ second goal, too, cutting down the left flank and crossing the ball to Lineth Beerensteyn at the near post. Beerensteyn’s shot ricocheted to Selma Bacha, who helplessly bundled an attempted clearance into her own net.
France brought the game level in the 61st minute through Marie-Antoinette Katoto. Delphine Cascarino pounced on a loose touch and was off and running, feeding a wide-open Katoto who made no mistake against stranded Dutch goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar.
Cascarino continued her brilliant tournament moments later with a magnificent brace in the space of four minutes, one a thunderous strike after a trademark mazy run, the other a canny poacher’s finish from the edge of the area.
Sakina Karchaoui coolly slotted home a penalty in stoppage time to round off the scoring.
What defined France’s match
Half-time. Laurent Bonadei’s decision to not bring Wendie Renard to the tournament left the French defensive ranks thin, doubly so following Griedge Mbock Bathy's injury. Facing a Netherlands team desperate for goals, the young French backline’s inexperience was frequently exposed. The defensively-minded Toletti was picked to start over Geyoro, who Bonadei perhaps over-confidently opted to rest and whose metronomic presence in midfield was sorely missed in the first half.
But whatever was said at half-time worked, as France emerged a changed side. Perhaps deciding they couldn’t wait until the 14 July national celebrations to see fireworks, Cascarino, Sandy Baltimore, and Katoto put in strong individual performances, with Kadidiatou Diani and Clara Mateo providing stout reinforcements off the bench. Karchaoui’s penalty in the game’s final moments crowned their successful turnaround. That attacking depth will be extremely valuable for France as they hope to progress further.
What defined the Netherlands’ match
Fading intensity. The headlines were written before the whistle blew: Vivianne Miedema relegated to the bench. With the Dutch needing a big victory, omitting their all-time leading scorer looked like wilful lunacy. But Andries Jonker’s gambit initially paid dividends, as attacking the inexperienced French backline by committee rather than relying on their superstar earned the Netherlands their second multi-goal game of the tournament.
And the chances weren’t slow in coming. In the game’s opening seconds Kerstin Casparij’s cross flew agonisingly over the leaping Grant’s head. Moments later Peyraud-Magnin was forced into a save by a long-range effort from Pelova. After a fruitless flurry of offensive pressure in the opening 20 minutes, Pelova’s goal, her second in three matches, broke the deadlock and gave the Dutch a lifeline. Bacha’s own goal gave the Netherlands the lead and a glimmer of hope going into half-time.
It was a strong first-half showing the Dutch proved unable to replicate after the break. The intensity that served them so well in the first half was missing, and they were overrun the longer the game went on. Advancement was always going to be an uphill battle after the heavy defeat to England, but the Dutch will be especially embittered that their best performance at the Euros counted for nothing.
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The French’s authoritative win over England in their opening game has raised expectations and viewership back home. Through the opening two matches, Les Bleues have become the most-watched national team in France this year, besting the popular national rugby team in viewing figures and earning an upgrade to a more popular TV channel.
It is an about-face for a squad that entered the tournament under a cloud of uncertainty following the exclusion of talismanic players like Renard and Eugénie Le Sommer. Their opening victory over England was resounding, but this come-from-behind performance hinted at a new, more ruthless mentality than in years past. France’s major tournaments have been characterised by soaring hopes unceremoniously dashed. Is this finally the year they break the cycle, or is history doomed to repeat itself?
What’s next?
This was the end of the road for the Netherlands. Champions in 2017, a group-stage exit will no doubt smart. There can be no arguing with the results, though, as an unenviable group draw proved too big an obstacle to overcome.
As group winners, France go on to a quarter-final with Germany on Saturday 19 July, with world champions Spain likely awaiting the winner of that match.
That leaves England to face Sweden, the ascendant Swedes fresh off a thorough dismantling of Germany.
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