FOOTBALL NEWS: France Clinch Narrow Victory over Belgium in Euro 2024 Thriller
In a tightly contested affair, France edged out Belgium 1-0 to book their place in the quarter-finals of Euro 2024. The match, played on [Date], saw France labor to victory, with a late strike from substitute Randel Kolo Muani sealing the win.
The game, which was evenly poised for the majority of the match, came to life in the closing stages. France controlled possession for much of the contest and threatened to break the deadlock through the efforts of Marcus Thuram and Aurelien Tchouameni, while Kylian Mbappe’s dazzling footwork kept the Belgian defense on their toes.
“It’s beautiful, we played a big game, it was tight but we enjoyed possession and we had more opportunities. We have to savor it, it’s quite an achievement. We’re in the quarter-finals, they’re going home.” – Didier Deschamps, France manager
However, it was Belgium who came closest to scoring late on, with Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne both forcing excellent saves from France goalkeeper Mike Maignan. But in the 85th minute, Kolo Muani’s strike took a deflection off defender Jan Vertonghen, leaving Koen Casteels in the Belgium goal helpless.
“We did everything to try to win. We were five minutes from extra-time. We had chances, not so many. Then they score and there isn’t enough time to react.” – Kevin De Bruyne, Belgium captain
France’s victory means they will now face the winner of Monday’s clash between Portugal and Slovenia in the quarter-finals, which will be played in Hamburg on Friday evening.
The win extends France’s impressive record in recent European Championships, as they have now won three successive games against Belgium. Excluding penalty shootouts, Deschamps’ side have lost only one of their last 15 Euros matches, winning eight and drawing six.
As the tournament progresses, France will be hoping to add to their 1984 and 2000 European Championship successes, and the narrow victory over Belgium has set them up nicely for a potential run to the final.
🔗 Source