By Julien Pretot
PARIS (Reuters) -New France captain Kylian Mbappe lived up to expectations with two goals in a 4-0 statement home win against the Netherlands as Les Bleus got their Euro 2024 Group B qualifying campaign started in ruthless fashion on Friday.
Mbappe, named skipper after goalkeeper Hugo Lloris ended his international career in January, set up Antoine Griezmann for the opener before scoring the third, after Dayot Upamecano had doubled the tally in a first-half blitz, before wrapping the scoring up late in front of an ecstatic crowd.
With Lloris and also influential centre back Raphael Varane now out of the international picture, France aimed to impress in their first game since losing the World Cup final against Argentina on penalties in December and did just that against a virus-hit Dutch side under their newly-appointed manager.
The result was a slap in the face for Ronald Koeman in charge of his first match since he took over from Louis van Gaal, after the Oranje reached the World Cup quarter-finals in Qatar, for his second stint after a first spell from 2018-2020.
France lead Group B ahead of Greece, who beat Gibraltar 3-0 away. Didier Deschamps’s side next face Ireland in Dublin on Monday while the Netherlands host Gibraltar.
The Dutch, missing five players after the squad was ravaged by a viral infection, got off to a woeful start as Les Bleus broke the deadlock after two minutes, Griezmann finishing off a superb move in style with a curled shot from Mbappe’s cross inside the area.
The visiting defence then made a dog’s dinner of Griezmann’s free kick and Upamecano bundled the ball home to double the advantage in the eighth minute.
Mbappe made it 3-0 after 22 minutes, rolling the ball in from close range in clinical fashion after being played through by Aurelien Tchouameni.
The Netherlands briefly threatened on the break but Memphis Depay’s attempt went just wide as Koeman sent striker Wout Weghorst on for midfielder Kenneth Taylor in the 33rd minute.
France came close again when Ibrahima Konate’s header was tipped away by Jasper Cillessen nine minutes before the break.
The Dutch had an early chance in the second half with a Depay free kick but that was as close as they got with Upamecano and Konate marshalling the French central defence.
Randal Kolo Muani, who started as a lone forward in France’s 4-3-3 formation, also put in a decent display until he was substituted for Olivier Giroud in the 76th minute.
France then took things easy before travelling to Dublin, but Mbappe rubbed salt into the Dutch wounds, dancing his way towards the area before unleashing a powerful cross-shot for the fourth goal and 38th in 67 appearances.
Mike Maignan, the number one keeper since Lloris’s retirement, then saved Depay’s stoppage-time penalty, leaving fans wondering what might have been if he had been between the posts in the final at the World Cup final – a tournament he missed through injury.
(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Ken Ferris)
