Netherlands Thrash Belgium, France Suffer Surprise Loss
04 June, 2022
France 1-2 Denmark
France were stunned 2-1 by Denmark in their League A1 opener on Friday evening at Stade de France.
France manager Didier Deschamps brought back most of the regulars after a win over South Africa, as Karim Benzema was recalled to partner Kylian Mbappe upfront.
Les Bleus thought they were ahead in the 15th minute after Benzema side-footed home a through ball by Mbappe but the goal was disallowed for offside.
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The home side had an injury blow just before the half-time break after Mbappe went down injured and he didn't return to the pitch and was eventually replaced at the beginning of the second-half by Christopher Nkunku.Nkunku had an immediate impact for Les Bleus, as he setup Benzema six minutes later to eventually break the deadlock.
However, Andreas Cornelius levelled matters for Denmark 22 minutes before time with a first-time finish in the box after a cross by Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
Cornelius snatched the winner for Kasper Hjulmand's charges two minutes before time.
Belgium 1-4 Netherlands
Belgium had a humiliating start in League A4 after a 4-1 defeat by Netherlands on Friday evening at Stade Roi Baudouin.
The Red Devils were without number one goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois but were in full strength in all the areas of the pitch, including Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku.
Steven Bergwijn broke the deadlock for the Dutch five minutes before the half-time break with a low curler into the bottom corner.
The Oranje were initially awarded a penalty on the stroke of half-time for a handball in the box but the referee overturned his own decision after reviewing the incident on the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) monitor.
Memphis Depay doubled the lead for the visitors early in the second stanza with a strike across shot-stopper Simon Mignolet after a cross by Berwijn.
Denzel Dumfries put the game to bed for Louis van Gaal's charges on the hour-mark with a tap-in at the back post from a low cross by Daley Blind.
The Dutch ran riot as Depay made it 4-0 and grabbed his brace with a half-volley off his chest after a flick by Blind from a long ball.
Michy Batshuayi scored a consolation goal for Roberto Martinez's men in stoppage time.
Croatia 0-3 Austria
Croatia got off their League A1 campaign on a bad note after a 3-0 loss against Austria on Friday evening at Stadion Gradski Vrt.
Marko Arnautovic broke the deadlock for Austria just before the half-time break and Michael Gregoritsch doubled their lead early in the second stanza.
Marcel Sabitzer put the result beyond reasonable doubt for Austria with the third goal just before the hour-mark.
Source: www.soccerladuma.co.za
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