A France with minimal results advances to the quarterfinals ‘in extremis’

A France with minimal results advances to the quarterfinals ‘in extremis’

The Gauls, without a fang, were better on points, but only surpassed a flat Belgium in the 85th minute with an own goal from Vertonghen

France have advanced to the quarter-finals of Euro 2024, which is being played in Germany, after beating Belgium in their round of 16 match on Monday, thanks to an own goal by Belgian centre-back Jan Vertonghen, which unblocked a weak French team that struggled to create dangerous chances.

Didier Deschamps’ men were better on points and could have broken down the Belgian wall in the final stretch of the match, although they had more chances. Belgium showed a very flat approach, unable to react after the goal conceded in the 85th minute, which did generate euphoria in a French team that continues to fail to find the brilliance expected, with Kylian Mbappé far from his best version.

As expected, Belgium handed over control to France, who set up a three-man defensive line with Aurelien Tchouameni to the left of the two centre-backs, to take advantage of Jules Koundé and Théo Hernández’s movement down the wings.

However, they did not find that depth in the opening minutes, against a Belgian 4-4-2 mid-low defence, which only stretched with long balls that Romelu Lukaku tried to tame without success. They came close to making it 0-1 with a curling free kick by Kevin de Bruyne, but an unskillful save by Mike Maignan cleared the ball, while Rabiot saw a yellow card that would prevent him from playing in the quarter-finals.

After a few minutes of stalemate, Belgium opened up the pitch more and improved, with Jéremy Doku playing on the left, serving to Loïs Openda already in the area, but his back pass was finished off by Yannik Carrasco at Théo’s body. The match entered a period of running around that gave Domenico Tedesco’s men air and longer possessions, aware that they had already withstood a possible first French offensive surge.

However, the clearest chance for the French came when the French were not dominating, when Marcus Thuram headed a cross from Koundé from the right, after a great pass from Tchouameni, but the Inter forward shot slightly wide, although close to the post. The match went to half-time after a powerful shot from the Real Madrid midfielder, assisted by Mbappé, who was close to being given a penalty.

And the second half started as the first ended, with France dominating and Tchouameni testing Casteels from the edge of the box with a tight shot. Thuram also missed the target, again with a header from Koundé’s cross just a few minutes later, with France unable to turn its control into goals.

With the hour mark approaching, Mbappé made his first significant appearance in the match, finally being able to carry out the characteristic slalom from outside to inside from the left, to shoot slightly wide of the goal defended by Casteels. Four good chances in just ten minutes for Deschamps’ men, while the Belgians could only swing around and chase shadows.

However, while the match continued in that torpor and heavy pace, Belgium woke up with the best chance of the entire match, when De Bruyne served Carrasco on the right on the counterattack, but when the former Atlético player was going to finish, a quick and saving Théo Hernández appeared to block the low shot and keep the 0-0.

Tedesco tried to support this reaction with the first move from the bench and breaking up the Lukaku-Openda duo to put more muscle in the midfield. It was the Roma player, now more liberated as a sole striker, who collected a ball inside the area from Doku and made Maignan stretch, although almost without an angle, in the second clearest chance to change the score, when the match entered a slightly higher rhythm, with the teams more open.

Even the less common players tried, like the central defender William Saliba, cutting inside the area after a corner, but without success for a France that after 70 minutes had accumulated 18 shots, only one of them on target. Not even Mbappé, more of a centre forward and who had two other chances in the final stretch, seemed to have the right aim.

The tension grew as the clock ticked down for France, who were close to elimination in the 83rd minute when De Bruyne finished off a counter-attack on the left with a powerful shot that Maignan deflected. However, the game would break loose in the 85th minute when, after stealing the ball from Lukaku, France put together a good combination that ended on the right, with Kanté passing to Kolo Muani inside the area. He turned and sent in a cross that hit Jan Vertonghen and went into the Belgian goal.

Tedesco’s men, who had less effort in the second half, saw their efforts go to waste in the cruelest way. Meanwhile, on the other side’s bench they breathed a sigh of relief, having saved another match thanks to an own goal by their opponents, as had already happened on the opening day. The winner of the round of 16 match between the Netherlands and Romania now awaits in the quarter-finals.

DATASHEET.

–RESULT: FRANCE, 1 – BELGIUM, 0 (0-0, at half-time).

–LINEUPS.

FRANCE: Maignan; Koundé, Upamecano, Saliba, Theo Hernandez; Kante, Tchouameni, Rabiot, Griezmann; Thuram (Kolo Muani, min.62) and Mbappé.

BELGIUM: Casteels; Chestnuts (De Ketelaere, min.89), Faes, Vertonghen, Theate, Carrasco (Lukebakio, min.89); Onana, De Bruyne; Docu, Lukaku and Openda (Take, 63 min.).

–GOALS.

0-1, 85th minute: Vertonghen pp

–REFEREE: Glenn Nyberg (SWE). He cautioned Tchouaméni (min.15), Griezmann (min.23) and Rabiot (min.25) for France, and Vertonghen (min.76) and Mangala (min.90+3) for Belgium.

–ESTADIO: Merkur Spiel-Arena de Düsseldorf.