The French team still has doubts, but it continues its European adventure by winning against Belgium (1-0) on Monday 1er July, in Düsseldorf. In a tight match, riddled with technical inaccuracies, the Blues finally managed to open the scoring in the 85th minutee minute following a shot from Randal Kolo Muani, deflected by Belgian defender Jan Vertonghen. Enough to pocket the victory and qualification.
Two own goals and a penalty: that is the meager record of Didier Deschamps’ team after four matches at the Euro. In the quarter-finals, France will face the winner of the match between Portugal and Slovenia, Friday at 9pm in Hamburg.
What you must remember
Although the Belgians were not very visible offensively, giving Mike Maignan little work, the French goalkeeper nevertheless made three important saves. In the first half, he pushed away a free kick from Kevin de Bruyne with his leg. In the second half, he distinguished himself by pushing away a shot from Romelu Lukaku, then another from “KDB”.
1-0, 85e : Left-back Théo Hernandez attacks the axis of the field in front of the area. The ball rotates between Antoine Griezmann, Jules Koundé and N’Golo Kanté. Served with his back to goal, Randal Kolo Muani shoots on the pivot and sees his attempt, deflected by Vertonghen, take the goalkeeper on the wrong foot.
That is the number of matches played by the record holder for selections with the Red Devils, namely: the unfortunate Jan Vertonghen. With more than seventeen years of work at the heart of the central hinge, he bowed out under the Belgian jersey on Monday, with a new failure in competition.
- The turning point of the match. The angry tackle from Théo Hernandez.
61e minute. French central defender William Saliba has the bad idea of losing the ball in the opposing camp. Kevin de Bruyne starts the counter and delivers caviar for Yannick Carrasco. A goal ball? That was without counting on the last-minute return of Théo Hernandez. A surgical intervention at a critical moment. - The phrase. Antoine Griezmann, at BeIN Sports: “Don’t worry about the small score, we’re in the quarter-finals!”
- Nutrisport. D
Overhead shots, more overhead shots, always overhead shots. This France-Belgium in the round of 16 of the Euro pales in comparison to the previous one in the semi-final of the 2018 World Cup.
