Four games into Euro 2024, no France player has found the net from open play but here they are, unbeaten and into the quarter-finals, the tournament favourites progressing thanks to another strike from their top scorer: own goal.
For a moment in Düsseldorf, 66 shots and almost six hours into the competition, it seemed that the wait was finally over when Randal Kolo Muani’s shot, their 18th on an often frustrating and oddly flat evening, beat Koen Casteels. When it came though, the shot was scuffed, deflected off the defender’s knee and so ultimately awarded to poor Jan Vertonghen instead.
Unfair? Perhaps, but with that the Belgium centre-back became France’s joint top scorer alongside Austria’s Max Wöber and Kylian Mbappé, scorer of a penalty against Poland. With that, more importantly, France found a way past Belgian and into the next round. And that, Didier Deschamps insisted, is something to celebrate, something that should be appreciated. More to the point, however they did it – and this felt like a pretty good portrait of their performances, a goal worthy of winning this game – you wouldn’t bet against them continuing through this tournament.
Not least because, for all the evidence pointing at a team that’s not that good, for all that France inspire fear more because of what they can do than what they actually do, it is hard to avoid the feeling that it is at least partly by design; that at some point, things will fall into place; that reaching finals is just what they do. They have been in three of the last four and now they are two steps away from another, without even seeming to have gotten started.
Certainly, Deschamps suggested that this was all part of the plan, proud of a team he said had not fallen into the “traps” the Belgians laid for them. Getting here, he said, was something worth celebrating. After all, it is not so easy and they might not have done.
All of which undermines the notion of a team in control and yet increases the sense of inevitability. Yet if this is a plan it can feel like a precarious one that left France on edge for much of an evening where their shots flew high and wide anywhere but the net until the 85th minute – less than two minutes after Mike Maignan had to rescue them with a superb save from Kevin De Bruyne. In fact, while France took 19 shots to Belgium’s 5, Domenico Tedesco’s side arguably had the better openings during a game that, it became increasingly clear, was destined to be settled by a single moment.
France, in fairness, had done more to avoid that. It took nine minutes for Antoine Griezmann, played out of position on the right, to take the first shot and by half-time the totals read 9-1, but that opening effort was weak and what followed wasn’t much better. Occasionally, there would be a neat exchange and there were a couple of headers at the near post from Marcus Thuram. Aurélien Tchouaméni fired over and Mbappé bundled through on the left. But it was all a bit slow, uninspiring, and Casteels didn’t have a real save to make in the opening 45 minutes.
At the other end, Maignan did. Belgium had been content to allow France the ball, seeking the gap behind the full backs instead, Jérémy Doku and Yannick Carrasco leading the way. There was a lovely sharp turn into the area by Loïs Openda that left Carrasco with a chance from which he might have done better. And from another Doku run, they won a free kick from which De Bruyne curled in a shot that Maignan just about managed to kick away while falling backwards.
France insisted, if cautiously. Mbappé and N’golo Kanté set up Tchouaméni who, sidefooted, curled towards the bottom corner to force the first truly notable save from Casteels. That was followed by another Thuram header over, before he was removed. And then Mbappé dashed inside, unleashing a shot that cleared the bar. A moment later, Griezmann and Jules Koundé made another opening for him, which was sliced wide, as France tightened their grip.
Belgium though suddenly broke free. William Saliba lost the ball, De Bruyne lifted it over the challenge and then slipped in Carrasco, sprinting into the area. Carrasco seemed to pause; just long enough for Théo Hernandez to slide in and make a superb block, the game’s most thrilling moment thus far.
Belgium had another opportunity too, Maignan saving from Romelu Lukaku after he had been set up by De Bruyne’s pass and Orel Mangala’s run. It would not be the last time. There were seven minutes left when the keeper made an exceptional stop from De Bruyne. And then, two minutes later, France did what France do, again.
