PLAYER RATINGS | France 1-0 Belgium – Les Bleus leave it late to edge past Red Devils | OneFootball

George Boxall, reporting from Merkel Spiel Arena – Düsseldorf

UEFA Euro 2024 Round of 16, 01/07/2024

France 1-0 Belgium – The Match

Les Bleus edged out Belgium in Düsseldorf thanks to a deflected strike from Randal Kolo Muani which went down as a Jan Vertonghen own goal on the 85th minute. It was an OG which would create history, as France advanced to the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 without scoring a goal from open play.

With much guessing before the match as to Didier Deschamps’ game plan against Belgian Red Devils, he finally chose against the predicted 4-1-2-1-2 lineups being circulated by journalists before the match and opted for a 4-3-3, which saw the return of Antoine Griezmann in a wide role for France. It was a game which needed growing into, with Les Bleus expectedly holding onto the ball in the early periods and generating a few half-chances, notably an early Kylian Mbappé strike over the bar.

A defence / attack set-piece would ensue between the two sides, with Belgium dropping deep when France hold onto the ball, managing soak up well the pressure. After a tame strike over the bar from Rabiot, it would be the Belgians’ turn to get onto the front foot.

Kevin De Bruyne gave something to worry about from a free-kick outside the box, and had Maignan had to re-adjust and use his feet to clear high. Openda would be next to cause an issue, his driven shot saved by Maignan and Carrasco looked in a good position to hit the rebound, but was blocked by the French defence.

After a slow period for Les Bleus, Marcus Thuram’s header would flash over the bar following a pinpoint delivery by Koundé. Les Blues finished the half goalless, they clearly needed to find an absent attacking spark which had begun to plague their performances in Germany.

RKM on hand to help Les Bleus advance

The second half would up the tension at the Düsseldorf Arena, as the stakes of progression in the tournament began to weigh heavily on the minds of both sides and their respective sets of supporters. The Red Devils were given a huge chance when Carrasco was played through on goal by De Bruyne, but Théo Hernandez stormed in with a huge challenge to stop the winger from getting a strike on goal. Mike Mike Maignan would be called upon for a huge save from Lukaku’s strike from the right side of the box.

Next up would be Manchester City’s De Bruyne, whose strike from the edge of the box wa magnificently saved by Maignan. Yet, fortune favoured the French at the best possible time. Antoine Griezmann played a lovely ball to Jules Koundé, who cut inside and fed Kolo Muani. The Bondy man’s first touch was excellent, posing him to squeeze a strike past Casteels with the help of a major deflection by Jan Vertonghen. It would eventually go down as another own goal for Les Bleus. With the goal coming late, Belgium pushed forward in the dying seconds but France would hold out their lead to progress to the quarter-finals where they will likely face either Slovenia or Portugal in Hamburg.

FRANCE PLAYER RATINGS:

Mike Maignan, 7

Jules Koundé, 7 – His best performance at Euro 2024 so far, was a lively creative outlet down the right side and played some sumptuous crosses into Marcus Thuram, who couldn’t make the most of them. He was key in progressing down the right side and getting the ball into danger.

Dayot Upamecano, 6

William Saliba, 7 – Another France game, and another solid performance from the Arsenal man. He faced a big physical threat in Romelu Lukaku and dealt with it with a calming panache, summarised by a moment when he bodied the AS Roma striker and played a sweet back-heel into safety.

Théo Hernandez, 6

Aurelien Tchouaméni, 5

N’Golo Kanté, 6

Adrien Rabiot, 5

Antoine Griezmann, 5 – His potential was seemingly wasted being started on the right wing position, lop-siding France’s attacking play down the right channel. He moved inside centrally on occasion, where he could have a better impact on the game. Yet, it wasn’t the best 90 minutes from the Atletico Madrid man.

Marcus Thuram, 2 – Perhaps the wrong man for the occasion, Thuram has been frustratingly poor when given chances in front of goal. It’s a wastefulness that has been seeping into France’s performances at the Euros , and is personified by the Inter Milan man. His anticipation wasn’t up to scratch, albeit being played balls that were better suited for a target man such as Olivier Giroud.

Kylian Mbappé, 3 – A frustrating performance from the now-official Real Madrid man, seemingly flowing int and out of the game with passive ease.

GFFN | George Boxall