The man in the black mask emerged onto the pitch at the Red Bull Arena for the pre-match warm-up, performing his usual routines. He adjusted the mask carefully several times, trying to get comfortable and ensure it properly protected his broken nose.

He continued warming up on the sidelines in the second half as the match between France and the Netherlands remained at a standstill. He watched as Olivier Giroud and Kingsley Coman were brought on as attacking substitutes.

Despite witnessing France, especially Antoine Griezmann—who took his place in the attack—miss several clear opportunities, France’s manager Didier Deschamps decided not to risk playing him.

Thus, the match between these two giants ended in a goalless draw, leaving a sense of unfulfillment. It felt as though the game had been waiting for something that never happened. It had been waiting for Kylian Mbappe.

This match highlighted what France is like without Mbappe: a team full of quality, grace, and energy, but lacking a decisive edge. Any team would miss the best player in the world, and France is no exception.

In the end, they were somewhat fortunate when Anthony Taylor ruled out Xavi Simons’ goal for the Netherlands due to Denzel Dumfries being deemed offside and interfering with goalkeeper Mike Maignan.

Of course, it was an English referee at the center of the first significant VAR controversy of this European Championship.

The reality is that France had not won any of their previous six games without Mbappe in the starting lineup, and they never seemed confident about winning this one either.

The bad news for the other top contenders in the Euros is that Mbappe will likely return for France’s final group game against Poland and the rest of the tournament.

Mbappe, who broke his nose badly during France’s opening game victory against Austria on Monday after colliding with Austria defender Kevin Danso’s shoulder, had recovered enough to be among the substitutes.

After the game in Düsseldorf, he had been taken to the hospital by ambulance, and there were concerns that he might miss the rest of the tournament. However, he has recovered well and participated in the warm-up.

Griezmann was moved up into the attack to replace him, with Aurelien Tchouameni taking Griezmann’s position in midfield. Regardless of Mbappe’s presence, the game began with an electric, frenetic pace.

Just a minute into the game, Jeremie Frimpong broke free and scuffed a shot through Theo Hernandez’s legs. The ball was heading for the far post until Mike Maignan managed to get his fingertips on it and push it wide.

France responded a couple of minutes later with a counter-attack. When the ball was played back to their captain, Antoine Griezmann, his powerful rising shot was tipped over by Bart Verbruggen.

The game continued at a relentless pace. France seemed poised to score when a brilliant backheel in the box left Adrien Rabiot with only Verbruggen to beat. Rabiot passed the ball to Griezmann for a tap-in, but Griezmann got his feet tangled and fell. He tried to pass it back to Rabiot but couldn’t direct it properly, leaving France’s players holding their heads in frustration.

Griezmann then shot narrowly wide, while at the other end, Cody Gakpo cut in from the left and curled a low shot towards the far corner. It was sneaking inside the post until Maignan dived full length to turn it away.

Griezmann, typically a player of great technical skill, mishandled the ball with his first touch, forcing him to stretch and attempt to squeeze his shot past Verbruggen. Lacking power, the goalkeeper easily pushed it wide.

The Netherlands thought they had scored when Maignan saved Memphis Depay’s shot and Xavi Simons fired in the rebound. However, Denzel Dumfries was standing next to Maignan when the ball hit the net, prompting a VAR check to see if he was offside.

Though Dumfries was not in Maignan’s line of sight, it was suggested that his close proximity prevented the goalkeeper from diving. The goal was disallowed, leaving the Dutch furious with referee Anthony Taylor. This led to another barrage of objects being thrown onto the pitch by Netherlands fans.