Defences remained on top before Xavi Simons’ strike for the Netherlands was controversially disallowed for offside
That will be all from me. Thanks for reading and emailing in, and for tolerating that ultimately disappointing spectacle. The Dumfries offside debate will run and run. Good night.
The Beeb (Lineker that is) now say Netherlands and France are “all but through” which assumes Austria are incapable of beating the Dutch in the final group game.
And could Poland, with a free hit, cause problems for France? Who knows. We will find out.
“The goal was disallowed on the field. VAR was checking if they could overturn that decision and decided it was not an obvious error,” emails Robert Speed. “I would have preferred the ref look at it on the monitor, but they didn’t do that. On balance, it should have stood. But the onfield decision carried weight.”
The BBC are analysing the offside decision against Dumfries. Shearer reckons it’s goal. Rooney reckons it’s a goal. Shearer says that Maignan’s body position means there is no way he could dive for the shot by Simons. Therefore Dumfries is not interfering.
“You have to question the referee here, the VAR,” says Fabregas. “The VAR should have “called him” [the referee] to make the right decision.”
“The goalkeeper is not impeded, clearly,” adds Lineker.
“If you really think you can get the ball, you dive,” says Fabregas, picking up Shearer’s point that Maignan would never have got to the ball anyway.
“If you go to the monitor, at least the referee can see it and give his own decision,” says Rooney.
The headline is that Poland are eliminated, the first team to pack their bags and leave Euro 2024.
Xavi Simons thought he’d won it for the Dutch … and so did many of us. But it wasn’t to be. A poor spectacle overall, but c’est la vie.
90 min + 5: Hernandez finds himself up the pitch. The ball is shepherded out for a goal kick to the Netherlands. And that should be that.
90 min +3: The disallowed Dutch goal is going to be a big #TalkingPoint, anyway.
The Netherlands now mount something resembling a late attack. Gakpo looks annoyed. They get a throw in. But, like almost always tonight, nothing really happens.
90 min +2: “Both sides resorting to ‘hoof it up to the big lad’ to break the deadlock,” emails Kev. “Petrus Crouch vs Pierre Crouch.”
90 min: We’ll have five added minutes. France win a corner after some good defending by Weghorst. Verbruggen punches the ball clear.
Poland, to remind you, are going out if this stays 0-0.
90 min: “It’s not an offence to be in an offside position, only to be ‘active’,” emails Dan Bayford.
“And seeing as the keeper didn’t even move, I can’t see how Dumfries was interfering with play.”
89 min: Danger for the Dutch! Rabiot is clear down the France left. He nudges a pass across the six-yard box looking for Coman but it’s a poor delivery and bounces away to safety on the far side.
Mbappé won’t be coming on which, let’s admit, must be entirely right given that he broke his nose earlier in the week.
86 min: Giroud gets on the end of a lofted ball into the box in that Sheringhamesque way of his. He nods a clever header back to the penalty spot, looking for Griezmann, but the ball is whipped away by De Vrij. Good defending.
85 min: Into the final five minutes. The ball is being played around in midpark, as Bob Boonah would say.
84 min: Anyway, onwards and upwards. My prediction for this one is 4-3 to the Netherlands. How about you?
83 min: If the offside for Dumfries was so obvious (I’m getting a few emails) then why the need for a five-minute VAR check?
82 min: Deschamps sits forward in his seat, willing his players to find a breakthrough. We’re closing in on the first 0-0 draw of the tournament. Can the Dutch find a way through? Can France nick one?
80 min: Kante surges forward in midfield. He looks to be fouled, ending up on the turf, but gets nothing.
78 min: It’s big Wout! Weghorst comes on, Depay off for the Netherlands.
Big Ron [Koeman] will now be looking to knock it full gun to Weghorst.
77 min: Free-kick for the Dutch in an advanced area. Depay to take. He floats it to the far post where Hernandez clears it for a corner.
75 min: Coman and Giroud are on for France. Thuram and Dembele off.
Geertruida, Veerman and Wijnaldum on for the Netherlands. Frimpong, Schouten and Simons off.
75 min: A Dutch goal would really have thrown the cat among the pigeons. We’d have been guaranteed a fascinating and exciting conclusion to what’s been an underwhelming match. But the [Premier League] officials have found a reason to disallow the goal. It’s disappointing and perhaps even a little embarrassing.
It’s a disallowed goal for the Netherlands. Simons’ effort is chalked off. Is it really very surprising that the Premier League officials have been responsible for a ludicrously long VAR check? And ultimately disallowing a goal that arguably should have stood? That looks very harsh to adjudge Dumfries offside when he’s not in Maignan’s eye line. But I’d like to have another look at it when there’s not smoke coming off my keyboard.
From the Dutch left flank, Gakpo feeds Depay, who is inside the penalty area with his back to goal. Depay turns quickly and hits a shot which is beaten out by Maignan. Simons tucks away the rebound with a powerful effort that nestles in the bottom corner, and the celebrations begin … but the goal is disallowed on the field by Anthony Taylor and the VAR is going to have a look. Was Dumfries offside? He was standing near Maignan, on the right side of goal (as the Dutch are attacking) … but not in his eye line. I fancy this may be allowed.
67 min: Upamecano gets France moving forward again. It’s all hands on deck in the Dutch defence. Dembele whacks a left-footed shot over from inside the area. Deschamps clasps his head in his hands and roars in frustration on the bench. Is it just one of those nights?
65 min: WHAT?! France are in again. A stunningly perceptive flick by Thuram on the edge of the area puts Dembele in. Then it’s with Kante, and Griezmann is teed up by a fine pass from the former Chelsea man. He has the ball, and a chance to shoot from point-blank range at the far post … but he fluffs it again! In fact it’s a save by Verbruggen. But that really, really should be 1-0 France.
64 min: “More than one preview noted that these two teams had two of the best defences in the tournament,” emails Kári Tulinius. “And this has very much been that kind of match.”
63 min: Chance France! Kounde, who has been very good, whips in a fine cross from the right. It’s that man again, Tchouameni, who leaps to head the ball goalwards from a central position … but it flashes narrowly over the crossbar! That was more like it.
60 min: Thuram belts a shot from the edge. It goes wide. Simons and Tchouameni then go shoulder to shoulder in midfield but there are some studs flying around too. Simons goes down in a heap. He looks in pain. What’s the ref given? Free kick to France, I think? Odd.
59 min: Kante sprints down the France left. He cuts back and passes to Tchouameni. The Real Madrid man hits a speculative shot from distance that – yes, you guessed right – goes out for a throw-in. And thus, the person writing the MBM is obliged to write: that moment sums up the match so far.
57 min: What’s going on right now? On the pitch, not a massive amount, in truth. The fans are cheerfully making plenty of noise but the entertainment on show isn’t really the kind of thing to get you out of your seat. Or off your sofa. There is still time …
53 min: Simons looks to inject some pace and tries to play a smart give and go on the left. It turns out just to be a give, but that buys space for Ake to advance down into the left corner. However, there is no option in the middle for the Dutch … they keep the ball and Simons, who looks lively early in the second half, wins a free-kick in a dangerous area, central and just outside the box.
52 min: Kante of France has a sight of goal from distance. He unleashes a poor shot that is always rising over the crossbar. Deschamps appears to be chewing his nails on the bench.
52 min: France attack. Netherlands defend. Now the Dutch come again with Frimpong sliding a good-looking pass infield looking for Depay from the right. France deal with it.
50 min: Frimpong catches Hernandez as the French defender looks to play a pass back to his keeper. Free-kick. This match is stubbornly refusing to become entertaining.
48 min: Saliba feeds Kante in central midfield. The Frenchman has a surprising amount of space to turn and time to pick a pass. He looks for Rabiot with an angled pass but the ball squirts out for a throw to the Netherlands.
47 min: Dembele has Ake on toast down the French right. French toast? He just kicks the ball past him and runs. Simple stuff, although he then overruns it, and the ball rolls out for a goal kick.
Will we see Kylian at some stage?
No changes from either manager at half time.
Brilliant orange. But can their team get them a result?