France v Belgium LIVE: Euro 2024 result and reaction as Jan Vertonghen own goal proves decisive
France 1-0 Belgium: Les Bleus battled past the Red Devils to earn a place in the quarter-finals of Euro 2024
France reached the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 after edging past Belgium in a scrappy and tight contest in Dusseldorf.
Les Bleus were the more proactive side, looking to feed Kylian Mbappe and Marcus Thuram the ball as they ventured further up the pitch with Belgium electing for a back five approach off the ball. Thuram met a cross with a solid header in the first half only to send it over the top. That was a story of the match for France. Wonderful build-up play to bring the ball into the penalty area but no clinical finishing. Midway through the second half they’d had 19 shots with just one on target.
Belgium had their moments too. As the game wore on Romelu Lukaku spun into the 18-yard area and forced a save from Mike Maignan at the near post and Kevin De Bruyne came close with blazing effort from range only for Maignan to keep him out too.
Then came the decisive moment. Jules Kounde giving the ball to N’Golo Kante, Kante slipping Randal Kolo Muani into the box, Kolo Muani’s shot hitting Jan Vertonghen, the ball deflecting past Koen Casteels and crossing the line. Belgium will be gutted, France ecstatic. Les Bleus are into the quarter-finals.
Relive the action from France v Belgium in Dusseldorf below:
France vs Belgium
These two sides met in the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup, with France winning 1-0 on their way to lifting the trophy. Smuel Umtiti scored that winner just after the half-time break.
Belgium dropped into the third placed play off and defeated England.
Mbappe on playing in a mask
France captain Kylian Mbappe will wear a mask again in the match versus Belgium after breaking his nose earlier in this tournament during a collision with another player.
Mbappe wore the mask in his last outing, helping France to a 1-1 draw with Poland. After that match, which saw him socre from the penalty spot, he said he found the mask uncomfortable to play in. .
"I didn’t think it would be, but playing with a mask is absolutely horrible," Mbappe said, "I have changed [the mask] because every time there was something that wasn’t right.
"It is really difficult. It limits your vision and the sweat gets blocked up so you have to take it off to let it run away. As soon as I can take it off I will do, but I don’t have a choice. That is how my tournament is going to be. I can only play like that.
"It is really annoying, but I have to just say thanks to the mask."
France v Belgium team changes
Didier Deschamps makes a couple of changes to the French team that drew 1-1 with Poland in the last group game. Ousmane Dembele and Bradley Barcola are dropped from the forward line with Marcus Thuram and Antoine Griezmann brought back into the team.
For Belgium, Domenico Tedesco sets them up with a 3-4-3 formation as with Lois Openda and Yannick Carrasco restored to the side. Youri Tielemans and Leandro Trossard are replaced.
France v Belgium line-ups
France XI: Maignan; Kounde, Upamencano, Saliba, T. Hernandez; Tchouameni, Kante, Rabiot; Griezmann, M. Thuram, Mbappe
Belgium XI: Casteels; Castagne, Faes, Vertonghen, Theate, Carrasco, Onana, De Bruyne, Doku, Openda, Lukaku
Confirmed lineups - France vs Belgium
Belgium’s line-up is in and it’s another system switch for Domenico Tedesco - back to 3-4-3, with Lois Openda into the side.
BEL XI - Casteels, Castagne, Faes, Vertonghen, Theate, Carrasco, Onana, De Bruyne, Doku, Openda, Lukaku
Camavinga on Belgium rivalry
Eduardo Camavinga spoke to the media on Saturday and shared some thoughts on the burgeoning rivalry between France and Belgium.
The Real Madrid man said: “I think there’s been a kind of rivalry since the [2018] World Cup.
“They really want their revenge as we also beat them during the Nations League; they want to do everything to win. It’s normal to have revenge on your mind.”
Griezmann on France’s mood
Despite not yet living up to their potential France have made it into the last-16 and the team are pumped to get the knockout stages of the tournament going.
Antoine Griezman said: “For me, it’s [France’s defensive capabilities] one of the foundations for going as far as possible, a solid defence, a solid team working together, where every player gives their all to help defensively. Offensively too, we have a lot of players to hurt our opponents, to score at any point during the match.
“I love tactical work, trying to give as few opportunities as possible to the opposing team, and I always try to encourage my team-mates to do it, to put in the work defensively, because it seems to be the simplest thing but it’s the most difficult thing for each player to do, especially the forwards. But, for me, it’s the most important thing and it’s the key to success.”
Kylian Mbappe’s glittering career is full of European heartbreak - will Euro 2024 change that?
The day Kylian Mbappe was announced as France captain was in March 2023. The night he earned the armband, however, may have come three months earlier, on a different continent, with the World Cup at stake.
Mbappe can appear as a languid figure, sleekly strolling around the pitch before gliding through the gears and reaching speeds few can rival. Yet there is video footage of Mbappe the motivator, galvanising France after a no-show performance in the first half in Lusail.
Mbappe’s glittering career is full of European heartbreak - will Euros change that?
Mbappe lifted France at the 2022 World Cup, and expectation will be high when he captains this summer
Rating Belgium’s chances ahead of the knockout rounds
It was always going to be tough for Belgium to make an impact at this Euros after a poor World Cup and it was not massively surprising to see them become the biggest casualty of the first round of games when they slumped to a frustrating 1-0 defeat by Slovakia.
Romelu Lukaku top-scored in Euro 2024 qualifying with 14 goals, but he did not have his shooting boots on in the group stages as he squandered a number of chances and VAR decisions went against him.
Belgium were better in a 2-0 win over Ukraine as Kevin De Bruyne got on the scoresheet, but a drab 0-0 with Ukraine meant they failed to top the group and ended up on the worst side of the draw with a clash versus France next up in the last 16.
As such, the likelihood they go on to win the tournament is very low as Portugal likely await in the quarter-final (though they first need to beat Slovenia) before one of Germany or Spain will face them in the semis. The route to the final is incredibly tough and it would be a positive result should Belgium get over the first hurdle this evening.
Rating France’s chances ahead of the knockout rounds
France were The Independent’s second-favourites to win Euro 2024 before a ball was kicked in this tournament but the group stages have not done much to inspire that confidence.
Les Bleus have not been European champions since 2000, but they arrived in Germany as one of the most likely sides to win the trophy after reaching the past two World Cup finals.
Yet Didier Deschamps is still searching for the right blend and balance, as the pre-tournament defeat by Germany and draw with Canada showed, and they had to work hard for their win over Austria, before stale draws with the Dutch and Poland.
With Kylian Mbappe’s broken nose requiring protective scaffolding for the rest of the tournament, it is far from the perfect start and France have dipped below Spain in the list of teams favoured to lift the trophy.
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