Kylian Mbappe marked his first sport as France captain on Friday with two targets and an help because the World Cup finalists romped to a 4-0 win towards a depleted Netherlands aspect in a Euro 2024 qualifier in Paris.
Mbappe has succeeded long-standing France skipper Hugo Lloris and the brand new period received off to a flying begin because the Paris Saint-Germain famous person arrange the pink-haired Antoine Griezmann to attain inside two minutes.
Dayot Upamecano bundled within the second objective within the eighth minute and Mbappe received his title on the scoresheet to make it 3-0 earlier than the halfway level within the first half.
Mbappe wrapped up the victory in emphatic style with two minutes remaining, earlier than the Netherlands’ Memphis Depay had a stoppage-time penalty saved by goalkeeper Mike Maignan.
It was a show of ruthless effectivity from Didier Deschamps’ aspect towards a Dutch crew lacking a number of key gamers after a virus swept by means of their squad.
They can not less than console themselves within the data that their hardest project in qualifying Group B is out of the best way and their subsequent sport is at residence to Gibraltar on Monday.
The French now head to Dublin to play the Republic of Ireland however it’s going to take one thing exceptional for them to fail to qualify for subsequent 12 months’s Euro given the highest two groups in every group undergo.
This was France’s first sport since their World Cup last defeat on penalties by Argentina simply over three months in the past.
There have been 4 modifications to Deschamps’ crew from that sport, with Lloris and centre-back Raphael Varane having retired — they have been honoured on the Stade de France pitch earlier than kick-off — whereas Ousmane Dembele is injured and Olivier Giroud began on the bench.
In got here AC Milan’s Maignan in objective and Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konate in central defence, whereas there have been begins for Kingsley Coman and Randal Kolo Muani, two gamers who got here off the bench within the Doha last.
The Netherlands, with Ronald Koeman again for a second spell as coach, have been with out Cody Gakpo, Matthijs de Ligt, Sven Botman, Denzel Dumfries and Frenkie de Jong for quite a lot of causes.
Ruthless effectivity
France merely blew them away in an astonishing begin.
Mbappe has promised to play a unifying position for his nation after taking up the armband, though he additionally admitted that Griezmann was upset at being missed for the captaincy by Deschamps.
Usually when Mbappe will get the ball on the left aspect of the field he shapes to shoot in the direction of the far nook.
That he didn’t within the second minute was telling, as he as a substitute selected to play a sq. go for the coming Griezmann to complete first-time.
Griezmann, reprising the midfield position he operated so remarkably on the World Cup, then arrange the second.
His whipped free-kick from the proper was not correctly handled by Dutch goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen, and Bayern Munich defender Upamecano was left with a simple end.
There was a contact of actual class concerning the third objective as Kolo Muani’s resolution to not contact Aurelien Tchouameni’s by means of ball fully did for the Netherlands defence and left Mbappe by means of to beat the goalkeeper.
France have been 3-0 up with barely 30 p.c possession, and Koeman made a substitution earlier than half-time, changing Ajax midfielder Kenneth Taylor with Manchester United goal man Wout Weghorst.
Only a positive Cillessen save from a Konate header stopped France from scoring once more earlier than the break, and substitute Moussa Diaby then had a objective disallowed late on.
However, Mbappe sealed the win two minutes from time, pouncing on a unfastened ball earlier than firing a shot by means of the legs of Jurrien Timber and into the underside nook.
The night concluded with Maignan stopping Depay’s penalty, which had been awarded for an Upamecano handball.
