The pressure and respect to lose, on the part of both teams, deprived the fans present in the stands of the Düsseldorf stadium of the expected spectacle, given the class displayed by some of the players who were present on the field of play.
Belgium packs his bags and returns home. France continues ahead in the competition. The duel between neighbors in the round of 16 of the Euro 2024 soccer championship lacked good football and ended with the victory, by the minimum, of the ‘Les Bleus’ team against the ‘Red Devils’.
The pressure and respect to lose, on the part of both teams, deprived the fans present in the stands of the Düsseldorf stadium of the expected spectacle, given the class displayed by some of the players who were present on the field of play.
Organized in defense, the Belgians left very few spaces for their adversaries and caused the medium-distance shot to be the only possible option for the French to end their adversaries’ resistance. Deschamps’ men went through the match with more pain than glory. With Mbappé and Griezmann physically turned off, the theoretical favorites lacked clear opportunities and had to wait until the last minutes of the contest to celebrate the goal that, in the end, took them to the quarterfinals.
The match seemed headed to extra time and Belgium seemed to be saving its strength. However, Randal Kolo Muani was in charge of changing the script of the match. After picking up a ball in the area, he turned quickly, oriented the ball and tried to place it at the far post of the goal defended by Casteels. Jan Vertonghen’s leg deflected the ball towards his own goal, avoiding the goalkeeper’s attempt and leaving the duel for sentencing.
France does not play as a favorite team to win the tournament is expected to do, but it is enough to stay alive. The ‘Red Devils’ say goodbye, once again, without taking that step forward that would do justice to one of the most talented generations in the history of Belgian football. A talented group that has not finished finishing the job and achieving that great trophy that the country dreams of has been around for a long time.
