France qualified for the quarter-finals of the Eurocup by beating Belgium 1-0 this Monday (1st), in Düsseldorf.
In a very tight game, striker Randal Kolo Muani scored the winning goal for the ‘Bleus’ in the final stretch with a shot that deflected off Belgian defender Jan Vertonghen before going in (85′).
“Our opponents took a lot of precautions, even though they are an attacking team on paper. We did everything we could to create chances and we had more than them. We didn’t fall into the trap, I liked that, but obviously you can’t win just by possession,” said France coach Didier Deschamps.
Kolo Muani started the match on the bench and came on in the second half in place of Marcus Thuram, who, like the entire French attack, proved to be very ineffective.
France’s only shot on target in the first half was a header from Thuram that was saved by goalkeeper Koen Casteels (34′). Aurélien Tchouaméni then tried two shots from distance that were harmless.
In the second half, Tchouaméni took another chance and Casteels saved. Kylian Mbappé, in one of his few standout actions in the game, hit it with his right foot and sent it over the goal (53′).
Despite lacking inspiration, Belgium had the best chances. Goalkeeper Mike Maignan saved a free kick from Kevin de Bruyne with his foot (24′) and made a great save from a shot from Romelu Lukaku (70′).
Shortly before, Yannick Carrasco received the ball from De Bruyne and was blocked by Theo Hernández when he was about to finish (61′).
As happened in the 2018 World Cup, Belgium ended up being eliminated by France by the minimum score.
Source: Gazetaesportiva
Kingston is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
