Ronald Koeman was left with egg on his face as Kylian Mbappe put on a masterclass to send France to Euro 2024.
The Netherlands manager, who had aimed a dig at the Paris Saint-Germain striker in the build up, saw the 24-year-old open the scoring in the seventh minute.
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Brilliantly directing in a first-time volley from a Jonathan Clauss cross, Mbappe left the Dutch in a difficult position.
The same can be said of Koeman too, who was asked why beating France wouldn’t be too difficult ahead of the game.
Backing his team to take the three points, he said: “The highest possible achievement is to win.
“I recently saw Newcastle United against PSG in the Champions League and Kylian Mbappe also participated.”
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Mbappe had a night to forget against the Magpies in the Champions League, barely touching the ball in a 4-1 defeat.
But for his country, he was back to his best, showing Koeman it may not be wise to taunt him.
The ex-Monaco man then got his second of the night in the 53rd minute in what was an exquisite strike.
Taking aim from outside the box, Mbappe gloriosly curled home an effort into the top right corner from outside the box.
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The cameras cut to Koeman on the bench, who cut a frustrated figure in the dugout.
Holland did manage to pull a goal back late on through left-back Quilindschy Hartman in the 83rd minute.
But they couldn’t nick a late equaliser, with defeat leaving them third in Group B – three points Greece in second spot following their 2-1 win against Ireland.
As for France, they have ensured they will be playing at Euro 2024 in Germany having triumphed in all six of their qualifying matches.
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