Kylian Mbappé stayed on the bench as France failed to break through in a tense and entertaining 0-0 draw with the Netherlands in Leipzig.
Xavi Simons had a 69th-minute goal disallowed for a controversial offside decision that would have given the Dutch a hugely important victory and put them on course to finish top of Group D.
Simons lashed the ball home from the edge of the penalty area, but it was adjudged that Denzel Dumfries had impaired the vision of France goalkeeper Mike Maignan. The Netherlands, with some justification, claimed that Maignan could not have reached Simons’ strike in any case.
World Cup finalist France was lacking its usual sparkle, with its captain not risked as he continues to recover from a broken nose sustained in the opening game against Austria.
However, it still had enough chances to have come out of the contest feeling disappointed as head coach Didier Deschamps now has work to do if his squad is to win the group. This, surprisingly given the firepower on both sides, was the first goalless draw of the competition.
