Swaggering France progress but must be more clinical to beat Germany – The Athletic

Frances supporters may have been outnumbered in the New York Stadium stands, and the team may not have scored as many as they did against Italy in the group stage, but this was as dominant a 1-0 win as you could find.

Across two hours of football, France fired 33 shots (13 on target) at the Netherlands. They faced just one shot on target by the time their place in the Euro 2022 semi-final against Germany was secured.

But, for all their quality when attacking in open play, Eve Perissets winner (above) came from the penalty spot in this meeting of two European heavyweights.

Frances quality, though, should not be forgotten about any time soon.

They exerted control throughout but it was the precision they showed across the pitch which set them on their way. Within two minutes, Kadidiatou Diani had displayed great presence of mind to move infield and slide a pass in behind for Grace Geyoro from the right. Geyoro was also involved in an intricate one-touch move with Sakina Karchaoui and Delphine Cascarino on the left, personifying the silk and vigour that would follow.

Becoming even more reliant on young goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar, the constant movement of the French frontline was a two-fold issue for for the Dutch to solve.

They had a few big chances but defensively we stood (up) well, said Netherlands centre-back Dominique Janssen. If we were just a bit more patient when we played through them we could have created more chances but it was hard because we had to put a lot of energy into defending. Sometimes its hard to have enough energy to attack (properly).

An energy-sapping ordeal for their opposition, Frances technical proficiency put them in control and it was Diani who led that charge. Particularly in the first half, the 27-year-old was comfortable and confident enough on the ball to have an impact wherever that may be.

On 20 minutes, she received a throw-in under pressure inside her own half and evaded pressure from multiple Dutch players before moving the ball for France to attack down the left wing, resulting in a Cascarino well-struck shot needing to be saved. On 37 minutes, the composure she showed to delay her pass into Melvine Malard whose shot was denied by Stefanie van der Gragt was the prime example of that composure in the final third.

The initial signs of Dutch frustration came from Danielle van de Donk. Diani felt comfortable enough to pull off a roulette and Van de Donk responded. First came the standing tackle in midfield, then came the sliding tackle on the touchline to try and set the tone.

As has been a common theme for many of the successful nations at this tournament, depth was key for France. While they were technically clean and crisp throughout the first half, their substitutes maintained that standard and brought a freshness to the attack after the Netherlands had weathered the storm of the first half.

I like the fact that the players gave it their all and kept plugging away; they stayed true to our game plan, said France manager Corinne Diacre. All the players performed their roles and we saw how well that worked. The players that came on certainly did not weaken the side, quite the contrary.

Malard who became Frances youngest scorer at a European Championship against Iceland kept her place up front for the injured Marie-Antoinette Katoto and was unlucky not to score. The impact of Selma Bacha named UEFAs player of the match off the bench was indicative of France keeping their attack fresh towards the end of the second half and into extra-time.

The 21-year-old ensured the technical level on the pitch did not drop. Within minutes of coming on, she was involved in an intricate one-two on halfway with Sandie Toletti before racing up the left wing and finding Diani inside the box. Later she popped up on the right to test Van Domselaar at her near post, but also kept the pressure on with her deliveries from set pieces helping Wendie Renard reach a total of six shots in the game.

Bacha was good but one youngster deserved the recognition of player of the match, and she wasnt French.

Van Domselaars performance in goal for the Netherlands was not a fluke. The 22-year-old made 10 saves in the first 90 minutes more than Frances Pauline Peyraud-Magnin has had to make in the tournament (seven) and left the best until last, back-pedalling to tip a looping Renard header wide.

She was a major reason the Netherlands progressed in this tournament, performing consistently since replacing the injured Sari van Veenendaal against Sweden. In the final group game against Switzerland, she started off with a strong save from Sandy Maendlys long-range effort and went on to make vital saves at both 0-0 and 1-1 as the Dutch won 4-1.

I think she was incredible. She kept us in the game most of the games, actually. I didnt expect her to be so good, so Im actually very proud (of her). Shes my player of the tournament, said Van de Donk.

Ive been training with her for a couple of years now with the national team and seen her in the Dutch league. Shes always been very good but she stepped up and showed the whole world what shes got.

While groans and boos rained down from the Netherlands contingent in the stands, the excitement when the 22-year-old made a save or ventured into the France box for a late free kick spoke to how quickly Van Domselaar had won the hearts of the Dutch support.

France, though, had been here before, exiting the last three European Championships at the quarter-final stage.Once Perissets penalty went in, it seemed a weight had been lifted.

There is no question that the French play with swagger and a precision that make them such tough opposition. Having broken their quarter-final curse, they will face a Germany team who have proven they can be clinical in the semi-final.

Not only have Germany kept clean sheets in all four games so far, but they have also scored at least two goals in each of those games.

For all of Frances positive play this tournament, their 5-1 win over Italy is the only time they have truly swept opposition aside with both their performance and the result.

Their foundations are there, whoever plays up front, and with quality and clarity across the pitch its now time to take full advantage of the chances they create.

(Top photo: Joris Verwijst/BSR Agency/Getty Images)

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Swaggering France progress but must be more clinical to beat Germany - The Athletic