Madrid, Jul 1 (EUROPA PRESS) – The French nationwide crew superior to the quarter-finals of Euro 2024, which is being performed in Germany, after beating Belgium on Monday of their spherical of 16 match, because of an personal purpose by Belgian centre-back Jan Vertonghen, who unblocked a French crew with out a fang that struggled to create harmful possibilities.
Didier Deschamps’ males had been higher on factors and will have damaged down the Belgian wall within the remaining stretch of the match, though they’d extra possibilities. Belgium confirmed a really flat method, unable to react after the purpose conceded within the eighty fifth minute, which did generate euphoria in a French crew that continues to fail to seek out the anticipated brilliance, with Kylian Mbappé removed from his finest model.
As anticipated, Belgium handed over management to France, who arrange a three-man line of defense with Aurelien Tchouameni to the left of the 2 centre-backs, to make the most of Jules Koundé and Théo Hernández’s motion down the wings.
Nevertheless, they didn’t discover that depth within the opening minutes, towards a Belgian 4-4-2 mid-low defence, which solely stretched with lengthy balls that Romelu Lukaku tried to tame with out success. They got here shut to creating it 0-1 with a curling free kick by Kevin de Bruyne, however an unskillful save by Mike Maignan cleared the ball, whereas Rabiot noticed a yellow card that will stop him from taking part in within the quarter-finals.
After a couple of minutes of stalemate, Belgium opened up the pitch extra and improved, with Jéremy Doku taking part in on the left, serving to Loïs Openda already within the space, however his again cross was completed off by Yannik Carrasco at Théo’s physique. The match entered a interval of operating round that gave Domenico Tedesco’s males air and longer possessions, conscious that they’d already withstood a potential first French offensive surge.
Nevertheless, the clearest likelihood for the French got here when the French weren’t dominating, when Marcus Thuram headed a cross from Koundé from the correct, after an awesome cross from Tchouameni, however the Inter ahead shot barely extensive, though near the put up. The match went to half-time after a strong shot from the Actual Madrid midfielder, assisted by Mbappé, who was near being given a penalty.
And the second half began as the primary ended, with France dominating and Tchouameni testing Casteels from the sting of the field with a good shot. Thuram additionally missed the goal, once more with a header from Koundé’s cross only a few minutes later, with France unable to show its management into objectives.
With the hour mark approaching, Mbappé made his first important look within the match, lastly with the ability to perform the attribute slalom from exterior to inside from the left, to shoot barely extensive of the purpose defended by Casteels. 4 good possibilities in simply ten minutes for Deschamps’ males, whereas the Belgians might solely swing round and chase shadows.
Nevertheless, whereas the match continued in that torpor and heavy tempo, Belgium awakened with the most effective likelihood of your entire match, when De Bruyne served Carrasco on the correct on the counterattack, however when the previous Atlético participant was going to complete, a fast and saving Théo Hernández appeared to dam the low shot and hold the 0-0.
Tedesco tried to assist this response with the primary transfer from the bench and breaking apart the Lukaku-Openda duo to place extra muscle within the midfield. It was the Roma participant, now extra liberated as a sole striker, who collected a ball inside the realm from Doku and made Maignan stretch, though virtually with out an angle, within the second clearest likelihood to vary the rating, when the match entered a barely greater rhythm, with the groups extra open.
Even the much less widespread gamers tried, just like the central defender William Saliba, slicing inside the realm after a nook, however with out success for a France that after 70 minutes had collected 18 photographs, solely one among them heading in the right direction. Not even Mbappé, extra of a centre ahead and who had two different possibilities within the remaining stretch, appeared to have the correct purpose.
The stress grew because the clock ticked down for a France facet who noticed themselves near elimination within the 83rd minute, when De Bruyne completed off a counter-attack on the left with a strong shot that Maignan deflected. Nevertheless, the sport would break free within the eighty fifth minute when, after stealing the ball from Lukaku, France put collectively mixture that ended on the correct, with Kanté filtering a cross to Kolo Muani inside the realm. He turned and launched a cross that hit Jan Vertonghen and went into the Belgian purpose.
Tedesco’s males, who had much less effort within the second half, noticed their efforts go to waste within the cruelest manner. In the meantime, on the opposite facet’s bench they breathed a sigh of reduction, having saved one other match because of an personal purpose by their opponents, as had already occurred on the opening day. The winner of the spherical of 16 match between the Netherlands and Romania now awaits within 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, eighty fifth 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-Area de Düsseldorf.
