The Netherlands understood they had a tough task ahead after suffering a heavy 4-0 defeat to England in their last match; however, it was France who created the first chance of the match when Delphine Cascarino made a run into the box and had her left-footed shot saved.

The rebound fell to Sakina Karchaoui who had her right-footed shot saved at the near post by Daphne van Domselaar.

After coming close, Les Blues took the lead with 22 minutes gone when some slick passing set up the unmarked Sandie Toletti, whose right-footed shot from just inside the box found the bottom left corner of the net.

The Oranje were facing elimination, but they managed to shift gears to turn the first half around.

Andries Jonker’s team equalized four minutes after going behind when Victoria Pelova curled a shot into the top right corner, followed by an own goal from Selma Bacha four minutes before halftime, giving the game a completely new dynamic as the Netherlands regained their belief.

The Dutch had the momentum heading into the second half; however, it was France who emerged stronger, with Cascarino lifting her close-range shot just over the crossbar shortly after the restart.

The Oranje were still in a strong position at this point, but a wild six-minute stretch completely changed the match.

Just after the hour mark, France equalized when Cascarino’s through ball found Marie-Antoinette Katoto who advanced into the box and slotted the ball past van Domselaar.

At this stage, the Netherlands needed to score three more unanswered goals to qualify, but their hopes were dashed as Cascarino’s shot from 25 yards soared into the top left corner. She was also in the right spot to net Les Blues’ fourth goal after Katoto’s shot hit both posts before rebounding to the in-form 28-year-old.

With the match nearly over, the French were able to enjoy the final moments as Karchaoui converted from the penalty spot in stoppage time, capping off an 11th consecutive victory and extending Laurent Bonadei’s team’s unbeaten streak against the Dutch to five matches as they continue their quest for a first European Championship title.

Flashscore Player of the Match: Delphine Cascarino (France)

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