Euro 2025: The Dutch are hoping for a "miracle" to qualify for the quarter-finals against a French team that promises to "not calculate anything"

To ensure they reach the quarterfinals, the Dutch players must win by a three-goal margin against Les Bleues on Sunday in Basel. The Dutch coach firmly believes in a comeback.

"Do you remember Barça's comeback against PSG ? On Sunday, we're going to try to play a match that no one will forget." With a frank look and a firm face, Andries Jonker, the Netherlands coach, quickly laid out his inspiration for the match awaiting his players against France on Sunday, July 13 in Basel (Switzerland), in an attempt to reach the quarter-finals of the Euro. Twice, he referred to the 6-1 thrashing inflicted by FC Barcelona on PSG in the second leg of the Champions League in 2017, after a 4-0 defeat in the first leg.

Swept away 4-0 by England on Thursday, the Dutch will have to win by three goals against an undefeated French team , if England wins against the Welsh, to reach the quarter-finals. According to the Dutch journalists present at the pre-match press conference, the mission is at first a "miracle" . "I believe in our team and I believe that anything is possible in football," asserted Danielle van de Donk, when asked whether or not she believes in miracles.

"If there were no chances, I wouldn't be sitting in front of you. We'll have to keep the ball, be careful with our passes, and not be afraid," continued the midfielder, who recently left OL Lyon after four seasons on the banks of the Rhône. Andries Jonker, for his part, dismissed the statistic that France has never lost by three goals to the Netherlands.

"I don't care about statistics. I only care about what we have to do. In some games, miracles happen."

Andries Jonker, Netherlands coach

at a press conference

The coach of the French team expects a "difficult" match because the winners of Euro 2017 "will have nothing to lose" . Despite a rather favorable ballot, Laurent Bonadei reiterated in a press conference that he wanted to continue to "cultivate the culture of winning" . "There will be a lot at stake but we must remain focused on our game and our qualities, because sometimes the stakes can be paralyzing", added the boss of the French team, aware that the memories of the many past failures can resurface.

Laurent Bonadei is counting on his forwards to maintain the offensive momentum they've displayed since the start of the competition (six goals, two conceded) to discourage the Netherlands. "Scoring goals is what drives us. If we score two, they'll have to score five. There's going to be a power struggle over time. But we can also show that we know how to be a tight-lipped team."

While a second-place finish in Group D would ensure France avoids Spain in the semi-finals, Sandie Toletti promised that there would be "no calculations" on Sunday. "We want to win this match. It's going to be difficult, but we're ready for any situation," insisted the player who will wear the captain's armband, following Sakina Karchaoui and Grace Geyoro. The French will face a Dutch side who are certainly out for revenge after the English debacle. The latter's motto is clear: "Make sure this doesn't happen again."