The Netherlands and France produced an entertaining goalless display in Leipzig on Friday.
Xavi Simons had the ball in the back of the net, before video assistant referee Stuart Atwell deemed the offside Denzel Dumfries to be intefering with proceedings.
Here are FromTheSpot’s player ratings from the tight match:
Netherlands
Bart Verbruggen – 6.5
Made a big, big save to deny Griezmann a goal from nigh on point-blank range.
Denzel Dumfries – 4
Had a really ineffective evening down the right-hand side, winning zero of his six duels and committing four fouls. Judged to be interfering with play for Xavi Simons’ strike.
Stefan de Vrij – 7
The Inter Milan defender was solid as a rock for the Oranje alongside his centre-back partner.
Virgil van Dijk – 7.5
The Liverpool leader made a whopping nine clearances in a top defensive display to keep the French at bay.
Nathan Aké – 6.5
Aké was defensively astute up against Ousmane Dembélé, keeping the winger quiet throughout the match.
Jerdy Schouten – 6
Struggled to make his mark on the game in the way he would’ve liked. A booking limited his tenacity.
Tijjani Reijnders – 6.5
A decent midfield display, but was outshone by his mighty French counterparts.
Jeremie Frimpong – 6
A frustratingly impactless performance from the Bayer Leverkusen star, who so often has that ‘special something’ to unlock a defence.
Xavi Simons – 7
Was denied a brilliant goal through no fault of his own. Put in a really good shift for the Oranje.
Cody Gakpo – 7
Got himself into plenty of good opportunities through his intelligent movement and direct approach. Couldn’t produce the moment he was searching for.
Memphis Depay – 5
Lead the line rather disappointingly, and failed to provide any real presence up-top for the Dutch.
Substitutions:
Gini Wijnaldum – 6.5
Provided some much-needed life into the Oranje’s midfield through a pair of fresh legs. Didn’t contribute much to the match aside from his energy.
Lutsharel Geertruida – 5
A really ineffective display off the bench from the versatile Feyenoord man.
Joey Veerman – 6
Replaced Xavi Simons and failed to add anything much of note for the Netherlands as the game progressed.
Wout Weghorst – 6
Was scarcely involved, albeit in restricted minutes off the bench.
France
Mike Maignan – 7
Made multiple big stops to deny the Netherlands, including a fingertip save in the opening minutes of the match.
Jules Koundé – 6.5
Tried to get things going down France’s right-hand side, but couldn’t always produce what was needed. A solid display, but nothing special.
Dayot Upamecano – 8
Put in a really solid shift in defence. Made his physical presence known to the Dutch attackers.
William Saliba – 7
Worked like a treat alongside Upamecano, bringing the ball out from the back very well.
Theo Hernández – 6
The left-back’s display tonight was nothing to write home about. Comme-ci, comme-ça .
N’Golo Kanté – 8
At 33-years-old, Kanté is still playing football like he’s in his prime years. Another brilliant performance from the experienced midfielder, who had full control of the match from start to finish.
Aurélien Tchouaméni – 6.5
Was heavily involved in proceedings in the middle of the park. Played a big role in France’s ball retention throughout.
Adrien Rabiot – 8.5
Why, oh why did he pass that opportunity to Griezmann? Made a mind-boggling decision early on, but more than made up for it with four key passes and an almost 100% duel success rate. Hardly put a foot wrong in a big performance.
Ousmane Dembélé – 7
Worked very hard to try and make things happen off the wing. Put in a shift that deserved more.
Marcus Thuram – 7
The striker no doubt left the pitch feeling frustrated, with seemingly nothing falling his way this evening – though not for a lack of trying.
Antoine Griezmann – 6
Worked tirelessly throughout and led by example for France in that aspect. Missed a gargantuan chance to open the scoring in the second half.
Substitutions:
Olivier Giroud – 6
Gave Les Bleus something different to work with as a focal point, but couldn’t get involved in the game.
Kingsley Coman – 6
Didn’t add anything for France off the bench in his limited involvements.
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