DPA
Dusseldorf
Belgium defender Jan Vertonghen scored a late own goal to hand France a 1-0 win on Monday and a spot in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals.
Substitute Randal Kolo Muani had the ball in the area and shot towards goal in the 85th minute. It went into the net, but only after it deflected from Vertonghen’s leg over goalkeeper Koen Casteels into the far corner.
Both sides failed to present a good performance at the tournament so far, but France had the final word in the last 16 clash, and again helped by an own goal – as they were in their only other win, a 1-0 against Austria.
The two-time European champions are yet to score from open play in the competition after being held to a goalless draw with the Netherlands and a 1-1 with Poland, in which Kylian Mbappé converted a penalty.
“I never doubted it,” France coach Didier Deschamps said. “It was a great game against a good team, it was tight. But I think we had possession clearly had more chances.
“We had many chances, unfortunately didn’t manage to have the ball into the net. Now we have to enjoy it.” France will now play Portugal or Slovenia in the quarter-finals in Hamburg on Friday, but without starting midfielder Adrien Rabiot, who will be suspended after receiving a yellow card.
France dominated offensive actions for the first 20 minutes, with Mbappe and Marcus Thuram wasting good chances and going off target.
Belgium then started finding spaces and got close in the 24th, when keeper Mike Maignan used his foot to clear Kevin de Bruyne’s free-kick almost on the line.
As France regained control, Thuram found Jules Koundé’s cross but his header went just wide in the 34th, before Aurélien Tchouameni tried from distance, but also missed the target in the 40th.
In the last action of the first half, Mbappé battled his way past two Belgium defenders to find Tchouaméni, who smashed a rising shot a bit too high.
Not much changed after the break. While Tchouaméni was off target a few times, Theo Hernandez had to be brilliant to block Yannick Carrasco and prevent him from getting a shot from close range in the 61st.
Ten minutes later, De Bruyne fed Lukaku, who fired a powerful strike to the goal, but Maignan made a solid save and he was again on the spot to deny De Bruyne’s long-range effort in the 83rd.
Those saves proved to be even more important as France got their winner just two minutes later.
They won the ball back deep in their own half and worked it into the penalty area, where Kolo Muani let it fly. The ball took a deflection off Vertonghen’s knee and wrong footed keeper Casteels.
“I’m very proud. The coach asked me to bring in my speed and I think I gave the team new momentum,” Kolo Muani said.
Belgium’s days as title contenders at major tournaments seem to be long gone.
Their golden generation led by De Bruyne, Eden Hazard and Vincent Kompany secured the nation a third place at the 2018 World Cup, the team’s best ever performance at the tournament, and the top position in the FIFA rankings.
But aside from some De Bruyne quality and moments of brilliance from Jeremy Doku, Domenico Tedesco’s men have looked off the pace throughout Euro 2024, which they started with a shocking 1-0 defeat to Romania.
“We knew they would be strong. It’s sad to concede a goal like that, simply sad. We of course wanted to win the game, we tired to win it.
We were just five minutes from extra time,” De Bruyne said.
