The new captain of the French national soccer team, Kylian Mbappe, led the team to a complete victory with 2 goals and 1 assist.
France defeated the Netherlands 4-0 in the first leg of Group B of the 2024 European Football Championship (Euro 2024) held at the Stade de France in Paris, France on the 25th (Korean time).
2022 Qatar World Cup runner-up France made some changes in their first game this year. Change was inevitable as Hugo Lloris, who had been the captain’s armband for the past 12 years and served as the starting goalkeeper, announced his retirement.
Coach Didier Deschamps entrusted Mbappe with the captain’s armband and ordered him to play a leadership role on and off the pitch, and Mbappe returned the trust with two goals and one assist.
Mbappe assisted Antoine Griezmann’s opening goal two minutes into the game. Griezmann received Mbappe’s pass and gave his team the lead with a powerful left-footed shot.
France, which increased its momentum, succeeded in scoring an additional goal six minutes later. In the free-kick situation, Griezmann’s cross hit Dayot Upamecano’s leg, who joined the attack, and shook the Netherlands’ net.
France added one more goal in the 21st minute. From the rear, Aurelien Chuameni sent an accurate forward pass towards Mbappe. Mbappe caught it and finished it with his right foot. This marked Mbappe’s first goal as French captain. 안전놀이터
Mbappe, who showed light movements throughout the game, overcame the opponent’s defense with a splendid technique in the 43rd minute of the second half, and then scored a victory with a powerful right-footed mid-range shot.
The Dutch, who fought back until the end for a comeback goal, were awarded a penalty kick in extra time in the second half. However, Memphis Depay’s shot as a kicker was blocked by France’s new starting goalkeeper, Mike Menann, and suffered a loss.
Newly coached by Dominico Tedesco, Belgium beat Sweden 3-0 in the first leg of Euro qualifier Group F held at Rosunda Stadion in Stockholm, Sweden.
Belgium, which put pressure on Sweden from the start, took the lead in the 35th minute with Lukaku’s header from Dodi Luquebacchio’s cross. Lukaku scored another goal in the fourth minute of the second half with the help of Luquebakio.
Afterwards, Belgium, which successfully blocked Sweden’s offensive, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, sealed the victory with Lukaku’s goal in the 37th minute of the second half. With this goal, Lukaku scored a hat-trick, giving him victory in his debut as new manager of Tedesco.