Mbappé Watches as France and Netherlands Play Out First 0-0 of Euro 2024

Kylian Mbappé observed from the bench as France and the Netherlands played to a goalless draw in the first 0-0 result of Euro 2024.

Antoine Griezmann missed the best chances for France, while Xavi Simons had a goal disallowed by VAR in this stalemate match taking place in Germany.

Both teams now sit atop Group D with four points each, consequently eliminating Poland from Euro 2024 contention following their 3-1 loss to Austria.

Mbappé had suffered a broken nose in the opening 1-0 win against Austria. Head coach Didier Deschamps was hopeful of his availability but deemed it not worth the risk in a match the French side did not need to win at all costs.

France’s best opportunities came after the break, with Aurélien Tchouaméni‘s header going over the crossbar, Verbruggen denying Griezmann up close, and Dembélé also missing a clear chance.

Xavi seemingly put the ball in the net in the 69th minute from a Depay rebound blocked by Maignan, but Dutch celebrations were short-lived as Dumfries, offside, obstructed Maignan from making a save.

In Berlin, Austria secured its first victory, defeating Poland 3-1. Goals from Trauner, Baumgartner, and Arnautovic countered Piatek’s lone goal for Poland.

The Austrian team, following a previous 1-0 defeat to France, understood the significance of the Friday match, according to Baumgartner who expressed relief after the win.

Lewandowski, absent in Poland’s first match against the Netherlands due to injury, made a second-half appearance but failed to make an impact on the field.

This defeat, combined with France’s draw, eliminates Poland from the tournament.

Roman Yaremchuk scored the decisive goal as Ukraine rallied to beat Slovakia 2-1, revitalizing their hopes of advancing to the Euro knockout stages in Dusseldorf.

This victory sees Ukraine bouncing back after a 3-0 loss to Romania in the opener.

Ukraine displayed mental strength to the fullest, as noted by midfielder Shaparenko, who found the back of the net. President Zelenskyy praised the team’s resilience on social media post-match.

Slovakia took the lead in the 17th minute through a header by Schranz, who also scored the only goal in a surprising win against Belgium four days earlier.

Zinchenko set up Shaparenko for the equalizer in the 54th minute. Shaparenko then assisted the second goal, delivering a long pass to Yaremchuk, who controlled the ball with his first touch before beating Dubravka.