In his first game after the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar and amid the tensions generated by the election of Kylian Mbappe As the new captain, the French soccer team thrashed the Netherlands 4-0 on the first date of group B of the UEFA qualifiers for the next eurocup.
After the discomfort in the squad, the French national team managed to quickly prevail against the starting eleven that Ronald Koeman stopped in his first game on the Dutch bench. After 2 minutes, after a good drive by Randal Kolo Muani, it was Mbappé who assisted Antoine Griezmannwho put the first of the game.
Just seven minutes later, after a free kick that fell into the Dutch area, Dayot Upamecano found the ball and stretched the lead. It wasn’t long before Mbappé, 21 minutes into the first half, appeared from behind Kolo Muani to make it 3-0.
Although Didier Deschamps’ side did not have possession in the match against the Netherlands, Les Blues’ deadly counterattacks made the difference, while the Dutch attack was uncreative in generating damage in the opponent’s area.
At the end of the game, at 88′, it was the historic PSG footballer who sealed the win after a bad start by Memphis Depay. After stealing the ball, Mbappé advanced towards the area, faked twice and finished off across to make the final 4-0.
The difficult week in the French squad
Despite the fact that Mbappé’s contribution was key to obtaining the 2018 World Cup in Russia and his performance for the French national team on their journey to the Qatar final was essential, the election as captain of the squad caused some discomfort. The main reason is that, after the retirement of Hugo Lloris from the national team, Antoine Griezmann was waiting for his moment.
“I spoke to him, he was disappointed and, honestly, it’s understandable. In his place I would have had the same reaction. He’s 32 years old and has been in the national team for 13, he’s been the most important player of the Deschamps era,” Mbappé said in the interview. press conference prior to the match against the Netherlands.
