Oranje faces a difficult task on Sunday evening. Coach Andries Jonker’s team probably needs to win against France by three goals to reach the quarter-finals. Oranje has never succeeded in doing that before.
Due to the 4-0 defeat against England, qualifying for the quarter-finals has become a tough job for Oranje. If underdog Wales manages to stun with a victory over England, then Oranje only needs a draw against France.
Should England and Wales draw, then Oranje is assured of a place in the quarter-finals with a win over France. In all 31 mutual duels, both teams won twelve times. But for the last victory of Oranje we have to look back in the history books.
Oranje’s last victory dates back ten years. The Netherlands won a friendly international in Paris in 2015 with 1-2. Daniëlle van de Donk was important in that match with a goal.
After the last victory in 2015, the countries faced each other four more times. Oranje managed to draw once (3-3 in 2020). The other three encounters were lost.
Oranje has particularly bad feelings about the last match against ‘Les Bleues’. Three years ago, after extra time, France was responsible for the elimination of title holder Oranje in the quarter-finals of the European Championship in England.
The Dutch national team will mainly take into account the scenario that England ‘simply’ wins against European Championship debutant Wales. In that case, the Netherlands must win against France by three goals. That is a heavy task.
A victory with three goals difference would be historic. Never before has Oranje won with such a big margin from the French. The Netherlands did manage to score three times against France twice before. That happened in 1985 (5-3) and 2020 (3-3).
Oranje hopes to cause a surprise on Sunday evening. The last group match against France starts at 9 p.m. in the St. Jakob-Park in Basel.