The man in the black mask stepped onto the pitch at the Red Bull Arena for the pre-match warm-up, carefully adjusting his mask several times to ensure it protected his broken nose effectively.

He warmed up on the sidelines during the second half as the match between France and the Netherlands remained in a stalemate, watching as Olivier Giroud and Kingsley Coman were brought on as attacking substitutes.

He observed as France, particularly Antoine Griezmann—who was moved into his attacking role—missed several clear chances. Despite this, France’s manager, Didier Deschamps, chose not to risk playing him.

Thus, the match between these two giants ended goalless and unfulfilled, leaving a sense of anticipation for something that never came: the presence of Kylian Mbappe.

This game illustrated what France is like without Mbappe: a brilliant 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.

Xavi Simons’ strike was ruled out after a check with Denzel Dumfries impeding Mike Maignan

In the end, they were somewhat fortunate that Xavi Simons’ goal for the Netherlands was disallowed by Anthony Taylor, as Denzel Dumfries was deemed offside and interfering with goalkeeper Mike Maignan.

It seemed fitting that an English referee was at the center of the first major 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 when he collided with Austria defender Kevin Danso’s shoulder, had recovered enough to be among the substitutes.