Women's EURO 2025 analysis: France turn up the heat to overhaul Netherlands

The old cliché about a game of two halves was certainly true of Sunday night's exciting, goal-rich encounter between France and the Netherlands.

For UEFA's Technical Observer Group, France's response to coach Laurent Bonadei's half-time instructions was pivotal and in the following analysis we will explore those changes as well as highlighting the attacking quality that shone through as they fought back to gain a third victory and first place in Group D at UEFA Women's EURO 2025.

Netherlands profit from long passing

The starting point of this analysis is how the Netherlands built their 2-1 half-time lead. Andries Jonker's side profited from longer, diagonal passes of the kind shown in this video which features the ball from Sherida Spitse to Lineth Beerensteyn in the lead-up to the first Netherlands goal.

As centre-back Spitse said: "That's a strength of ours. We have pace up front. We want to press them high up the pitch. There was space behind their back line."

UEFA Technical Observer Irene Fuhrmann added: "The Netherlands had a clear plan for how they could hurt France. They had two centre-backs, Spitse and [Dominique] Janssen, capable of playing accurate long-range passes along with quick attacking players or players who could make deep runs from midfield and capitalise on those passes."

France turn up the pressure

The pressure heatmaps above and below illustrate Fuhrmann's next point regarding France's lack of pressure on the central defenders in the first half – and what changed in the second.

"In the first half, France pressed mostly with a single forward [Marie-Antoinette Katoto] but she wasn't able to apply enough pressure on Spitse and Janssen," said Fuhrmann. "This allowed both to drive forward and play a high number of successful long passes down the line into the half-space or diagonal balls into wide areas."

The second-half heatmap displays much more French pressure in central areas, including on the centre-backs in the Netherlands half, and notably less in their own defensive third. As well as putting more pressure on the ball, they responded better to second balls, helped by their midfielders sitting deeper.

"The Netherlands had caused us problems with their movement, with the intensity of their running, with the long balls," said France coach Bonadei. "At half-time I told them they had to be more aggressive."

The second video above reflects that response. Furhmann explained that France now had a higher, more active first pressing line, with Katoto often supported by a midfielder stepping up to help limit those long balls. "As a result," Fuhrmann continued, "the Netherlands had to look for solutions through short passing combinations, which were easier to defend against with France's increased intensity in duels."

France's attackers show their class

Only Spain scored more group-stage goals than France's 11 and as Fuhrmann said, "they looked a much more dynamic attacking force in the second period, pushing their full-backs higher to stretch the Netherlands while winger Delphine Cascarino showcased her technical gifts in a series of 1v1s." There were more forward runs from midfielders too, both to overload central areas and get into the box for crosses.

The final video features France's third and fourth goals, both scored by Player of the Match Cascarino. The first exhibits her 1v1 ability as she beats two players before launching the shot that brought her first international goal for two and a half years. The second, meanwhile, follows good counterpressure and sharp combination play in tight areas. As Fuhrmann observed: "France increased the tempo, played more vertically, and created chances by quickly switching play and exploiting the spaces between the midfield and defensive lines."

Coaching considerations

UEFA Technical Observer Irene Fuhrmann shares her insights into 1v1 attacking – and how to develop it.

On the qualities required

"One-v-one attacking is a high-skill, high-pressure scenario that demands a specific blend of technical, physical, and psychological attributes. Good players stand out through outstanding technical qualities. They have a good first touch, can keep the ball close to their feet, are ideally two-footed and able to master effective feints or body movements.

"These technical skills only become truly effective when a player is able to use them correctly under opposition pressure. It requires timing and the right decision-making. To do this, the player must either already have a clear picture in their mind before receiving the ball – about where the opponent is coming from or where the open space lies – or, once in possession, they must be able to create an advantage through a body feint or physical attributes such as acceleration, agility or strength.

"From a mental perspective, confidence in one's own strengths is essential, as this allows the player to remain calm and make good decisions even under pressure."

On how youth coaches can develop 1v1 ability

"Every coach wants to have difference-makers on their team, and this includes players who can solve game situations under the highest pressure from opponents and time constraints. But you only get that kind of player if you don't dictate everything to them in training, if you let them experiment, find their own solutions, and encourage them to keep trying even after making mistakes.

"The goal should be to develop confident, creative players who can solve problems under pressure. The first step is to learn dribbling moves and feints in space. But to progress from the technical aspects to decision-making under pressure, I would avoid sterile, isolated 1v1s and let them play in small-sided games. That way, they have a lot of 1v1s with little space and a lot of pressure, and will be constantly required to make decisions and find solutions on their own.

"You need to allow room for mistakes and experimentation, as that is where creativity grows. Therefore, I would recommend that coaches create a safe, challenging and fun environment, using goals, zones, directions. Move from simple to complex and don't overcoach but rather ask players questions and encourage self-reflection."