In a largely disappointing round of 16 match, Randal Kolo Muani scores the winner for France with the help of an opponent. Belgium leave a major tournament early again.
France continued to play minimalist soccer at the European Championships and squeezed through to the quarter-finals. The two-time European champions with Kylian Mbappé in the mask won a lucky 1:0 (0:0) against Belgium with coach Domenico Tedesco in the round of 16 in Düsseldorf on Monday. The decision was clinched by an own goal from Jan Vertonghen, who deflected a shot from former Bundesliga professional Randal Kolo Muani in the 85th minute.
Despite scoring just three goals so far at this European Championship, the French remained undefeated in regular-time tournament matches since the 1-0 defeat to Germany at the 2014 World Cup. The Équipe Tricolore now move on to the quarter-finals in Hamburg on Friday. However, they will be without Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot, who picked up his second yellow card of the tournament.
Belgium, on the other hand, will also have to return home early under German coach Tedesco. The eternal secret favorites around superstar Kevin De Bruyne had already failed in the preliminary round of the 2022 World Cup.
Supposed top duel a bore for a long time
The eagerly awaited supposed top duel quickly turned out to be a bore. Both teams seamlessly continued their largely uninspired and disappointing performances from the preliminary round. France once again made far too little of the technical skills in their squad and played with too little tempo.
Top star Mbappé, who had broken his nose in the same place two weeks earlier in the 1-0 defeat to Austria, remained extremely inconspicuous. The future Real Madrid attacker had previously complained that his protective mask was a major hindrance. “It’s terrible to play with a mask,” the France captain had grumbled. “You can’t see so well, you sweat under it – then you have to let the sweat out.” In fact, the 25-year-old hardly posed any danger. The star striker stood more than he took part in the attacking play.
Thuram misses best chance before the break
The Belgians lacked the necessary precision in attack, and the huge performance gap in the team was once again evident. Time and again, captain and star player Kevin De Bruyne dropped very far back in order to boost the build-up play. As a result, the Manchester City attacker lost much of his goal threat.
The French side only had their best chance after just over 34 minutes when former Gladbach player Marcus Thuram put a header just wide of the goal. Until then, Belgium had looked slightly more dangerous. Overall, however, the game remained far too static and uneventful on both sides before the break.
Once again, it became clear why both teams only managed two goals each in the preliminary round. It was shocking how often both attacking lines failed to hit the target despite having a free run of play at times.
De Bruyne fails – Kolo Muani scores
The sometimes undignified play continued after the break. Whenever the pace was needed, both sides slowed down and the stars were unable to get into their game. Former Bundesliga striker Thuram also played a very disappointing game once again and fell short of his potential. The Inter Milan attacker had to leave the field after around an hour and was replaced by former Frankfurt player Kolo Muani.
In the 83rd minute, De Bruyne failed to beat France keeper Mike Maignan with a powerful shot. At the other end, Kolo Muani gave coach Didier Deschamps’ French side a reprieve. Defender Vertonghen deflected his shot unstoppably.