In a riveting display of skill, Kylian Mbappé reignited his magic as he scored twice to propel France to a 2-1 victory on the road against a Netherlands team riddled with injuries, securing an early qualification for Euro 2024 on Friday. France, the World Cup runners-up, maintained a pristine record in Group B, securing six wins. Joining them in the upcoming tournament in Germany are Portugal and Belgium.

 

In Group J, Portugal also flaunted an unblemished record, with Goncalo Ramos netting a goal and a remarkable brace by Cristiano Ronaldo, leading them to a thrilling 3-2 home win against Slovakia. Meanwhile, Belgium’s Group F campaign resulted in a 3-2 triumph over Austria, who had the chance to qualify with a win. Dodi Lukebakio scored twice, and Romelu Lukaku sealed the victory in the second half.

 

At the Johan Cruijff Arena, France looked comfortable for over 80 minutes, although goalkeeper Mike Maignan’s couple of errors had the potential to be costly. Mbappé, who briefly left the training camp this week for personal reasons, kicked off the scoring in the seventh minute, converting a perfect cross from Jonathan Clauss with a powerful volley, an act celebrated with a skyward gesture.

 

While the hosts gained a glimmer of confidence before halftime, Mbappé dashed their hopes with a stunning goal eight minutes into the second half. The 24-year-old, who had an inconsistent start to the season with Paris St Germain, received a deft pass from Adrien Rabiot and curled a sublime shot into the far top corner from the edge of the box, marking his 42nd international goal.

 

This achievement elevated him to fourth place on the all-time top scorers list for the French national team, trailing Olivier Giroud (54), Thierry Henry (51), and Antoine Griezmann (44). Griezmann extended his record streak by playing in his 81st consecutive game for France.

Due to injuries, the Netherlands missed a slew of key players, including Cody Gakpo, Jurrien Timber, Sven Botman, Matthijs de Ligt, Frenkie de Jong, Mark Flekken, Memphis Depay, Noa Lang, Teun Koopmeiners, Tyrell Malacia, and Steven Berghuis. They managed to reduce the deficit with Quilindschy Hartman’s debut goal in the 83rd minute.

 

Greece remains in the hunt for qualification with a 2-0 victory against Ireland, securing the second spot in the group with 12 points, three ahead of the Netherlands, who have a game in hand.

France, with an unbroken streak of Euro appearances since 1988, will face Scotland in a friendly next week, while the Netherlands will travel to Greece for their upcoming qualifier on Monday.