France and Netherlands forced to share the spoils in first goalless draw of Euro 2024

After breaking his nose in France’s opening Group D win over Austria, Les Bleus skipper was forced to don a mask in training and was only a substitute here in Leipzig, where a 0-0 stalemate â- the first of these finals â- leaves both former winners on the cusp of qualifying for the last 16.The Netherlands thought they had all-but secured safe passage when Xavi Simons struck in the second half, only for his effort to be ruled out by referee Anthony Talyor.While the television cameras constantly trained a lens on Mbappe, the opening exchanges of the game itself were frenetic if not…