France 1-0 Belgium: summary, score, goals, highlights Euro 2024
France - Belgium: live updates
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Joe
Sofascore agree!
The right-back was everywhere for Les Bleus today, and a key part in everything they did.
Full-time thoughts:
Own goal continues to dominate at the top of the scoring charts in this competition as France scrape past Belgium to book their place in the quarter-finals of the Euros.
It was not the most fascinating game in terms of clear-cut chances, but this is France we're watching here, and they dominate tournaments without dominating games.
Momentum swung from left to right across the 90 minutes without any team looking like bearing their Great White Shark teeth.
However, France do what France do and they found one moment of magic from somewhere to put the ball in the back of the net and get through to the final 8, where they'll take on one of Portugal or Slovenia.
Joe's MVP: Jules Koundé
The right-back was essential in everything that France did throughout the game; from attack to defence he was everywhere and kept Doku on a leash - at least as much as one can against such a terrifying dribbler. He piled in the crosses for the attackers and never stopped getting up the wing, despite the heavy defensive duties.
FULL-TIME!
FRANCE ARE THROUGH TO THE QUARTER-FINALS
Mangala gets a booking for a foul on halfway.
That looks to be that for Belgium...
Belgium win a corner as Doku looks to grab the game by the scruff of the neck in the final stages.
Belgium come forward and the cross is fired in from the left, but there is nobody there to get a touch...
3 added minutes.
We're into the final minute of normal time.
More Belgian changes:
OFF: Carrasco, Castagne
ON: De Keteleare, Lukébakio
Back underway.
Kanté slides a pass into Kolo Muani inside the box, who spins past his marker down the right channel. He sends his shot across goal but the deflection off Vertonghen takes it past Casteels at this near post.
KOLO MUANI
De Bruyne's effort was a true Saturn V rocket in terms of power, but Maignan will be delighted that the attempt on goal was fairly central.
HUGE SAVE
Belgium break and De Bruyne, on the edge of the box, drives a low shot towards goal that is saved well by Maignan.
Doku finally wins a free-kick and the sarcastic applause from the red shirts in the crowd is quite something.
It's France in the positional driving seat as we enter the final 10 minutes of normal time. They've got Belgium pinned back in their defensive third but they know well that the counter attack can be deadly.
CHANCE
Mbappé races over to the middle of the box from the left and gets on Koundé's square ball, sending his shot high over the bar.
We're ticking towards the final 10 minutes and neither side can find that flash of open space to get a good sight on goal. It's deadlocked in the middle third as things stand.
Vertonghen gets a booking from the referee.
CHANCE
Saliba cuts onto his left foot inside the box and thunders a shot past the near post.
This referee is not going to be on Doku's Christmas card list anymore. Again, the City winger goes to ground and again Herr Referee says no.
Belgium have never played extra-time at the Euros before...
SAVE FROM MAIGNAN
Lukaka finds an inch inside the box and fires low and hard at Maignan, who gets down well to send the ball away from goal.
Twenty to go and Belgium have begun to bite back in this tie. They're not giving up.
Tchouaméni goes for goal from distance but again, it's wayward.
Belgium seem to be trying to take the sting out of France's all-action football with some sustained possession at the back. A few more speculative long balls are being made towards Lukaku, who will be happy to finally remember what shape the ball is.
WIDE. Griezmann takes a wild swing at the ball with his weaker foot and the ball is hoofed wide. An odd moment from the Frenchman who rarely makes the wrong decision.
Belgium switch it up:
OFF: Openda
ON: Mangala
Kolo Muani gets shoved in the back on the edge of the box (I think it was a foul) but the referee waves his hand upwards, likely shouting 'get up!' as he jogs on.
France make a change:
OFF: Thuram
ON: Kolo Muani
HUGE BLOCK!
Well, the curse of the commentator almost struck me there: Belgium break at lightning pace with Carrasco down the right.
He looks all on his own inside the box and drags his leg back to fire past Maignan... just as Theo Hernández slides in to save the day!
We've played an hour and this game, as it stands, is France's for the taking... if they can find an opening.
France are finding their mojo now: flicks and tricks are coming out to play around the edge of the box.
The battle between Koundé and Doku is hotting up too; the winger feels that he's been unfairly treated by Herr Referee after a few strong challenges from the Barcelona man.
A chance goes begging for Mbappé after he scuffs a terrible effort way wide from the penalty spot. Good thing Real Madrid didn't pay a transfer fee for that guy!
I have to say, I expected Lukaku to put up more of a fight against Saliba and Upamecano today, but the performances of the defenders, especially the former, have been faultless.
OVER!
Mbappé has woken up. The winger drives inside from the left and sends a spinning shot over the bar. Danger, danger...
Casteels comes out to snatch the ball from the air as Thuram runs onto a chipped ball over the Belgian defence.
OVER THE BAR
Koundé drifts a cross in from the right corner of the box but Thuram can only direct his header over the bar.
France seem to have been given a rocket up their proverbial at half-time: their pace on the ball is much higher than anything we saw in the first period.
BIG SAVE
Kanté lays off to Tchouaméni on the edge of the box and the Real Madrid man curls a low effort to Casteels' left side, which is well saved.
Openda goes down in the box after a bit of handbags with Upamecano, but Herr Referee says no and we carry on.
Mangala and Tielemans are warming up for the Belgians.
France start brightly with a switch from right to left, but Mbappé spoons his cross wildly over the bar after flashing past De Bruyne on the edge of the box.
SECOND HALF UNDERWAY!
No changes for either side. Belgium get us going with an old-fashioned two-player kick-off.
The players are in the tunnel!
We're almost ready to go for the second half!
Half-time thoughts:
In a sentence: France went from controlling everything in the game to drifting away and daydreaming about the French fries vs Belgian fries debate for a period of 10-15 minutes in the first half, which was when Doku came alive and started to test the white shirts.
It's been a very even game from two sides with plans that look to find the ticklish underbellies of their opponents. France have, at times, looked to control possession and the flow of the game, knowing that Belgium are a threat on the counter with their lightning-fast City winger.
However, as mentioned, Belgium did indeed take control of the game for a crucial period which could have seen them go ahead with either Carrasco or De Bruyne.
Both sides have held on well and will be happy with the defensive resilience they've shown.
HALF-TIME!
That's all for now and there is nothing to separate the two sides at the break.
OVER THE BAR. Tchouaméni gets a red border for that one. Mbappé twists, turns, squirms and slides through around 3,41 challenges from Doku on France's left. The Real Madrid man gets inside the box and drags it back for his (future) club teammate, who smashes over the bar.
1 added minute.
Faes' challenge is stunning and although it takes Theo to the ground, there is not a single complaint from anyone in the ground as the full-back is stopped in his tracks on the wing.
Into the final minute of normal time in the first half.
France are, quite rightly, keeping 2 centre-backs back in their own half, despite the pressure the rest of the team are piling on the Red Devils' defence. This way, the France defenders are making it extremely tough for Belgium to counter, as Openda and Lukaku are never 2vs1 on the counter. A simple solution to a key problem.
The ball rolls across the box to Koundé who's probably at just too tight of an angle to aim a serious challenge on goal with a shot. He sends it back across goal and Belgium clear the danger. Again, without threatening Casteels, France are in control.
Five minutes of normal time to go. All square as things stand.
JUST WIDE. Tchouaméni goes for glory from distance but on second viewing, the ball is always spinning away from goal and therefore he doesn't deserve a red outline on this comment.
France seem to have woken up as we approach the final 5 of the half. Having said that, they're still not carving Belgium open anywhere near as much as they'd like to.
Doku goes on a crazy run down the wing but eventually sheer numbers from France stop him in his tracks. When he's like that at full speed, there's not many players who can go 1vs1 against him and live to tell the tale.
HUGE CHANCE!
Probably France's best so far, and guess who got down the right to send the cross in?
That's right, Koundé tears past his marker on the wing and fires in a cross to Thuram, who thunders a header just wide!
Again, it's great from Koundé, who times his run and jump superbly to intercept Faes' cross-field ball towards Doku, who was already thinking of squirming away towards goal.
Theo's ambitious cross can't find Thuram and that's what happens when you rush things. France seem to be running into that brick wall again...
We're now just half an hour into the game and the pendulum of momentum has swung the way of Belgium.
Belgium come again but De Bruyne doesn't read Carrasco's mind, who cuts it back towards the edge of the box and he darts towards the far post. The ball is swept up by a white shirt.
The game has opened up for the Belgians who have forced France back into their own defensive third. De Bruyne is seeing more of the ball and at the moment, he's being allowed the time to turn and point his radar towards the attacking areas of the pitch.
HUGE CHANCE!
Openda spins away from his marker on the left and sends a cross into the box that pinballs between legs. It lands at the feet of Carrasco who sees his shot blocked!
Rabiot has now been booked. If France get through, he'll serve a suspension.
SAVE!
De Bruyne clips the free-kick in and Maignan sees it late, saving with his feet off the line.
And the Frenchman has been booked for the challenge.
Doku wins a free-kick on the left corner of the box after being tripped by Griezmann.
As good as France's attacking line is, Koundé importance cannot be understated to how they play. He's routinely the player both the highest up on the wing in attack and the first back to defend when they need to.
A quick attack down the right from Belgium goes to waste after Carrasco's poor cross lands on the head of Koundé, who taps back to his goalkeeper.
Both sides appear quite content with how things are going in what I'd still just about call the 'opening stages'. France's possession is calm and considered while Belgium are defending strongly in a very tight 4-4-2.
Faes somewhat slices a clearance from a Koundé cross and France win a very avoidable corner.
Carrasco breaksaway down the right and goes down just inside the penalty area... nothing given, we move on.
Tchouaméni sees an early yellow for protesting. He wanted a corner.
CHANCE. Mbappé finds an inch on the left side of the box and sends a rocket high and wide.
A searching cross to the far post from Griezmann nearly finds Mbappé, but it's headed behind for a corner. France are turning the screw right now.
CHANCE. Griezmann clips a pass down the wing to Koundé who finds himself inside the box and goalside of the defender. He cuts the ball back to the penalty spot but nobody is there to fire home.
Ten gone. It's been an even start with both sides scanning their cockroach antennae at each other from a safe distance.
A nervy moment as Upamecano forgets that Openda can run at lightspeed and his header back to Maignan - just for a second - looks too short.
It's France's turn to tap, tap, tap the ball from left to right and back again. Their passing is sharp and zipping across the surface but Belgium know their plan and are holding on comfortably.
France come forward with Thuram who tries to crash-bang-wallop his way through the Belgian defence. The ball runs out for a goal-kick.
Maignan comes racing out of his area to send send Theate's clipped ball over the top towards Doku out of play. A positive start from the Belgians who have a clear game-plan: find the space behind France's defence.
France seem happy to sit off in the opening stages as Kevin De Bruyne's cross-field pass from deep towards Doku is misplaced.
Upamecano sweeps up Belgium's long ball towards Openda, who will be looking to latch onto more of the same throughout the game, I would suggest.
After three minutes of action, there is no need to put a number on Belgium's formation: it's as varied as a bag of revels.
First shot of the game goes to Rabiot, who swings an ambitious volley behind himself facing away from goal on the edge of the box.
Interestingly, right from the off, it's France in a 4-3-3 with Griezmann wide right and Mbappé hugging the left touchline.
Carrasco is indeed making up a midfield 3...
AND WE'RE OFF!
France get us going from left to right. What a noise from the crowd!
A special mention for Marcus Thuram, who sang the anthem with the biggest of smiles.
Time for the national anthems!
Lovely renditions from both sides...
Here come the players!
The fans are packing the stands and we're ready to go!
Weather check!
Temperature: 20°
Sky: Partly Cloudy
Pitch: Dry
Humidity: 53%
Wind: 17 km/h
A reminder of the lineups:
FRANCE XI:
GK: Maignan
DEF: Koundé - Upamecano - Saliba - Theo
MID: Kanté - Tchouaméni - Rabiot
ATT: Mbappé - Thuram - Griezmann
BELGIUM XI:
GK: Casteels
DEF: Castagne - Vertonghen - Faes - Theate - Carrasco
MID: Onana - De Bruyne
ATT: Openda - Lukaku - Doku
Fifteen minutes to go!
Warmups are being finalised and the two sides are making their way into the dressing rooms for the final team talks!
Openda opens up on role:
My role here is to be the second striker. I'm very familiar with that. I also know that when the coach needs me to come onto the pitch or to play, I will always be there. I came here to represent my country, to help the team and also to win something.
France to wear their white away strip
It's a beauty. So far, both sides are 1-1 and level in the battle of beautiful kits.
Warmups underway!
The two sides are on the pitch and are going through their respective warmup routines ahead of kick-off, which is just 20 minutes away!
Dembélé dropped
The Frenchman has been dropped for today's game, with Deschamps clearly preferring a slightly less erratic profile of player in his XI.
However, against tired legs, I certainly wouldn't want to come up against an Ousmané Dembélé with a point to prove... expect him to make an impact if/when he comes on in the second period.
MIGUEL MEDINA / AFP
Who to watch: Belgium
I know he gets a lot of hate, but Romelu Lukaku has a skillset that not many other forward players at the elite level possess, and his hold-up play, when it comes off, is second to none.
Up against Saliba and Upamecano, he's going to have a multitude of physical battles, but if there's any man who can hold off the opposition back line and bring others into the play, it's Lukaku.
The full referee team:
Referee: Gelnn Nyberg SWE
Assistant referees: Andreas Söderkvist SWE, Pol van Boekel NED
Video Assistant Referee: Bartosz Frankowski POL
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1: Rob Dieperink NED
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2: Donatas Rumšas LTU
Confirmation of the France XI:
And that confirms Griezmann starting behind a front two, right?
It looks likely, but we're still yet to see if the system switch will give France their bite back.
Belgium looking for revenge...
The recent history between the two sides has only gone one way: France's.
We've seen Les Bleus win twice in the recent past over the Red Devils, meaning Tedesco's team finding the spark is not going to be an issue.
Losses to France in the semi-finals at the 2018 World Cup and the 2020/21 UEFA Nations League will be firmly on the minds of the players in red.
The mystery continues...
UEFA have gone with a standard 4-3-3 for the Belgium line-up, although as mentioned, I wouldn't be surprised to see Carrasco drop back and form a line of 5 defenders with Onana patrolling behind KDB, who will once again look to be his side's creative spark.
Have your say!
Remember, we've got a poll up and running - and we want you to vote!
Who's going through to the next round of the Euros?
If you're feeling brave, drop me a score prediction below the line.
So, if we do have a stalemate after 90 minutes and France don't take advantage of Opta's positivity, what happens?
· 30 minutes of extra time (2 15-minute halves)
· Penalty shootout (if needed after extra-time)
For a more in-depth explainer, give Roddy's piece a whirl before kick-off.
Will Tedesco play with 3 or 4 defenders?
Carrasco could well start in the middle of a midfield 3, on the left of a midfield 4 (less likely) or even as a wing-back in a defensive 5.
I think his role will depend on whether or not France go with 2 forwards (Mbappé and Thuram), or just stick with the single striker.
Opta say France are favourites
The whizz kids over at Opta Towers have France down as favourites over their northern European rivals, and they have a 49.6% chance of making through today's game after 90 minutes.
A draw is sitting at 27.8% while a Belgian win after 90 is at 22.6%.
The players have arrived at the stadium!
Both squads are currently on the pitch for their pre-game wander of the playing surface as the first few fans drip into the ground.
Here's a quick look back at yesterday's action...
A dominant Spanish team overcame an early scare to reach the quarters, with goals from Rodri, Ruiz, Williams and Olmo entertaining the Cologne Stadium.
They remain the most impressive side at the tournament and were the standout performers of yesterday's quarter final games that we saw.
Meanwhile, England limped past Slovakia after going a goal down int he first half, and it took a late piece of overhead magic from Jude Bellingham to draw level and take the game to extra-time, where Harry Kane would head past the goalkeeper as the clock ticked on to put the Three Lions into the final 8.
LINEUPS REVEALED:
FRANCE XI:
GK: Maignan
DEF: Koundé - Saliba - Upamecano - Theo
MID: Kanté - Tchouaméni - Rabiot
ATT: Griezmann - Thuram - Mbappé
BELGIUM XI:
GK: Casteels
DEF: Theate - Faes - Vertonghen - Castagne
MID: Carrasco - Onana - De Bruyne
ATT: Openda - Lukaku - Doku
Kacper Pempel / REUTERS
Who to watch: Mbappé
Absolutely searing analysis from myself here, claiming that the best player in the world is the one man to keep an eye on. However, there's more to it than just watching good players kick the ball around.
France's goalscoring has been an issue as they're yet to hit top gear so far at the Euros, and Mbappé is going to have to be the man to zap them back into life.
His relationship with Bradley Barcola is also an interesting nuance to the attack: the PSG youngster has shone at club level and looks to have formed an on-pitch bond with Real Madrid's new shiny toy. If Barcola sees minutes, watch out for his Kylian link-up play.
Can he do it with the mask? On the face of it, such a question sounds hugely trivial and even patronising, but it's been Kylian himself who has been complaining about wearing the facial protection.
France's slight slip-up...
I’ll admit I was wrong here. I didn’t see France slipping up at all and I expected them to whizz through the first phase of the competition with a 100% record.
Alas, the unpredictability of the game is why we love it, and seeing Les Bleus fail to find the killer touch in the final group game against Poland, drawing 1-1, meant they fell into second place behind Austria.
That final draw saw Austria leapfrog them and as result, they will play against Turkiye in their Round of 16 game.
Koen Casteels previews the game:
"Everyone is ready for the round of 16.
"We all need to be in top form in order to win this game. But we believe, and we should focus on our own strengths. You can see in training that everyone is really focused, including on the plan that the coach has given us, to execute it to the best of our abilities."
Mbappé on playing with a mask:
“It is really difficult. It limits your vision, and the sweat gets blocked up, so you have to take it off to let it run away. As soon as I can take it off I will do, but I don’t have a choice. That is how my tournament is going to be. I can only play like that.”
Here's the other game today.
Three hours after kick-off between France and Belgium, we've got Portugal taking on Slovenia. The winner of these two games will face each other in the quarter finals, which will take place in Hamburg.
Will we see Deschamps change things up?
Remarkably, it's been France's lack of a killer instinct in front of goal that has caused eyebrows to be raised during the tournament.
As such, the noises coming from Les Bleus' camp are that the manager is set to deploy Griezmann behind a front two pairing of Mbappé and Thuram.
We don't have the team news quite yet, so we'll have to wait and see if Deschamps springs a surprise.
I said they were making plenty of pre-game noise!
The French fans have got to get their groove on if they want to keep up with the Red Devils' fans!
Remember, if you want to follow the action live as well as keep up to date with the live text commentary, then you can. Just follow the steps in the handy explainer and find out how to get the action on your screen as it happens.
Good news!
Belgium are set to wear their lovely wine-coloured shirt for the clash today. It's a lot better than their Tintin-inspired away strip. The one with the brown shorts.
Lee Smith / REUTERS
Who's the ref?
The man with the whistle for the clash today is Glenn Nyberg.
The Swedish official is a seasoned pro at the top level and has overseen games in the Champions League as well as his regular hunting ground, the Allsvenskan. During the Euros, he’s been in charge of both Romania vs Ukraine and Albania vs Spain.
Misses next match if booked:
FRA: Dembélé, Mbappé, Rabiot
BEL: Faes, Mangala, Tielemans
Things are shaping up ahead of kick-off!
The fans aren't inside yet - but they're making plenty of noise on the streets around the ground!
Merkur Spiel Arena / INA FASSBENDER / AFP
Here's the venue for today:
Today’s game is being played at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Dusseldorf. The 51,000-seat capacity ground was opened in 2004 and is home to Fortuna Dusseldorf.
During the tournament, the ground is being named Düsseldorf Arena, as it was during Eurovision, which I’m sure you’ll remember.
Belgium team news
As for Belgium, they’ve got a fully fit squad and we are expecting them to put out a full-strength lineup for the game.
France team news
Didier Deschamps’ France squad is back at full fitness with Kylian Mbappé already used to playing in his superhero mask.
The Real Madrid forward suffered a broken nose against Austria but his physical problem will not prevent him from playing today.
Kick-off is in around 90 minutes.
Welcome!
Hello and welcome to the AS USA live coverage of France vs Belgium in the Euro 2024 Round of 16.
We’ve got a huge heavyweight clash in the first knockout round, with two of the tournament’s top squads going up against each other.
It's Joe here to guide you through the action as it happens.