France beat Belgium 1-0 in a close Euro 2024 game, which saw Jan Vertonghen score an own goal late in the game, helping France move on to the quarterfinals.
Throughout the match, France dominated possession but struggled to convert their chances.
Their efforts paid off just five minutes from time when substitute Randal Kolo Muani’s shot deflected off Vertonghen, wrong-footing Belgian goalkeeper Koen Casteels.
This narrow win means France will face their next challenge in Hamburg on Friday, aiming to claim their third European Championship title.
Remarkably, France has yet to score from open play in the tournament, with their previous goals coming from a penalty by captain Kylian Mbappe and own goals from opponents.
Despite their offensive struggles, France’s defense has been solid.
They have conceded just one penalty goal throughout their campaign.
The French defense showed their might once again, effectively neutralizing Belgium’s star forward Romelu Lukaku and his team mates.
Both teams entered the match with a desire for revenge.
Belgium sought to avenge their 1-0 semi-final defeat to France in the 2018 World Cup, while France aimed to redeem themselves after a shocking last-16 exit to Switzerland at Euro 2020.
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France, considered favorites at the tournament’s start, had an underwhelming group stage performance, partly due to Mbappe’s broken nose in the opener against Austria and Antoine Griezmann’s uncertain form.
Griezmann returned to the starting lineup for this match, while Marcus Thuram also came in as Ousmane Dembele and Bradley Barcola were benched.
Belgium coach Domenico Tedesco made changes to his lineup, starting Yannick Carrasco and Lois Openda to bolster the attack, while Kevin De Bruyne played a deeper role.
Despite the attacking talent on display, the match was far from a goal-fest. Belgium opted for a defensive approach, rarely troubling French goalkeeper Mike Maignan in the first half.
France, although dominant, appeared disjointed at times.
Thuram and Aurelien Tchouameni came closest to scoring in the first half, with Tchouameni also testing Casteels early in the second half. Mbappe had a promising attempt, but it sailed over the bar.
Belgium’s best chance came an hour in when Theo Hernandez made an important block to deny Carrasco.
Maignan was called into action twice, saving efforts from Lukaku and De Bruyne, but it was France who ultimately found the breakthrough.
In the 85th minute, N’Golo Kante set up Kolo Muani, whose shot deflected off Vertonghen and found the back of the net, sealing France’s victory and ending Belgium’s Euro 2024 journey.
