Netherlands 2-5 France: Oranje out after second-half collapse

The Netherlands bowed out of the European Championships at the group stage as they were overrun by a technically superior French side.
Needing to win by three goals after their 4-0 drubbing by England in midweek, Oranje harboured serious hopes of pulling off a miracle after they went 2-1 up near the end of an encouraging first half.
But France found another gear after the break, picking apart a wilting Dutch defence to score three goals in six minutes and finish top of Group D.
Andries Jonker made four changes from the defeat to England, the most notable being the decision to play Lineth Beerensteyn up front instead of record goalscorer Vivianne Miedema.
Jonker also opted for a more experienced back line, with Lynn Wilms and Sherida Spitse coming in for Esmee Brugts and Veerle Buurman, while Daniëlle van de Donk returned in midfield, replacing Wieke Kaptein.
The Dutch showed their attacking intent from the start as Kerstin Casparij sent over a cross from the left that was just too high for Chasity Grant.
French resistance
Victoria Pelova tried her luck a minute later with a low shot that forced Pauline Peyraud-Magnin into a good save to turn the ball behind.
The French were content to soak up Dutch pressure and wait for chances to come on the break. Their first serious attack soon came as Daphne van Domselaar was forced into a fine double save from Delphine Cascarino and Sakina Karchaoui.
Van de Donk went close with a header, but it was France who took the lead as Marie-Antoinette Katoto broke down the left-hand side and found Sandie Toletti lurking on the edge of the penalty area. The captain’s first touch was heavy but she still had enough time and space to shoot low into the bottom corner.
But the Leeuwinnen refused to be bowed and levelled within five minutes. Pelova sent a looping cross across the penalty area to Grant, whose shot was well saved, but the ball came back to Pelova who fired high past Peyraud-Magnin.
Van de Donk had another good effort from 15 metres before Beerensteyn again gave the French defence problems with a header that went over the bar.
Own goal
Just before half-time the Dutch took the lead with a flowing move down the left-hand side that ended with Pelova pulling the ball across goal for Beerensteyn. The striker was unable to connect under pressure from Peyraud-Magnin, but the ball rolled to Selma Bacha, who turned it into her own net.
France showed more enterprise at the start of the second half, forcing Van Domselaar into spilling a cross, but Cascarino sent the rebound over the crossbar from close range.
With the French looking increasingly comfortable in handling the Dutch attacks, mistakes started to creep in as Oranje tried to force the tempo. Dominique Janssen gave the ball away on the halfway line and Cascarino’s pass sent Katoto racing clear to score.
A minute later France regained the lead with a superb finish from Cascarino, who was given space to run at the defence before lashing a shot into the top corner.
And the winger wrapped up the qualification three minutes later when she smashed in a rebound after Sandy Baltimore’s shot had come back off both posts.
Only a smart save by Van Domselaar prevented Baltimore adding a fifth from close range, but Karchaoui had the last word from the penalty spot in injury time after Casparij was penalised for a foul.
“We gave it away”
Spitse, who played her 247th international match to extend her European record, was visibly exasperated by the manner of the defeat.
“We knew it was going to be tough, but we fought today and it wasn’t enough,” she said. “We had a 10-minute spell where we gave it away because we were sloppy on the ball.
“I’m really proud of the team because we fought well and didn’t give up, but when we give away the ball so cheaply and they score with the only chances they had because we weren’t efficient enough on the ball, I’m annoyed, because it wasn’t necessary.”
France will now play Germany in the quarter-finals, while England, who coasted to a 6-1 win against Wales in their final group match, will take on Sweden.
Thank you for donating to DutchNews.nl.
We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day.
Make a donation