A hard-fought victory for France who managed to go through to the quarter finals after a deflected goal off Jan Vertonghen by Randal Kolo Muani in the dying minutes of the game. It was all set to go to extra time before the goal that broke Belgian hearts happened.
Throughout the match, France dominated possession and had the best chances to score before and after half-time with attempts from Marcus Thuram and Aurelien Tchouameni. Despite Kylian Mbappe’s impressive footwork, he was unable to convert his chances and France struggled to challenge Casteels.
Belgium had the opportunity to secure a victory towards the end of the game, as both Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne attempted to score, resulting in impressive saves from goalkeeper Mike Maignan. However, it was the untidy final moment that ultimately propelled France to the next round.
Delight for France, despondency for Belgium…
Belgium has been defeated by France in the last three consecutive matches.
Apart from penalty shoot-outs, Deschamps’ team has been defeated only once in their last 15 Euro matches (won 8 and drew 6).
Is it possible for them to further build upon their previous victories in the European Championships in 1984 and 2000?
