Match Report France – Belgium (1-0) Euro 2024: Vertonghen’s Own Goal Seals an Anticlimactic Game
France and Belgium faced off in the Round of 16 at Euro 2024, in a match held at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Düsseldorf. These two long-standing rivals entered the field with a clear objective of advancing to the quarterfinals. Following rather anticlimactic performances in the group stage, both teams continued this trend, with the match ultimately being decided by a late own goal that sent France through to the Euro 2024 quarterfinals.
Starting Lineups
France made two changes from the team that drew 1-1 with Poland in their final Group D match. Kylian Mbappe, wearing a protective mask after a broken nose, returned against Austria and scored the team’s first goal of the tournament from a penalty. Mbappe partners in attack with Marcus Thuram, while Antoine Griezmann, also back in the lineup, plays behind the two forwards in his 15th European Championship match.
Belgium also made two changes, switching to a 4-4-2 formation. RB Leipzig’s forward Lois Openda now partners with Romelu Lukaku in attack, replacing Leandro Trossard. Additionally, Yannick Carrasco takes the wing position in place of Youri Tielemans, playing in front of left-back Arthur Theate.
Belgium, Completely Absent Offensively in the First Half
The match began with France on the offensive as Mbappe kicked off the game. In the 2nd minute, Saliba crossed to Rabiot, but he couldn’t control the ball and shot wide. Belgium attempted to respond with De Bruyne sending a long pass to Openda, but Maignan was quick off his line to intercept, even though the pass was well outside his box.
In the 14th minute, France won a corner. Mbappe’s shot appeared to deflect, but the referee awarded only a goal kick. Tchouameni protested vigorously and received a yellow card for his insistence. This highlighted the implementation of the new rule where only team captains can discuss decisions with the referee. The first half saw several yellow cards for France, with Tchouameni, Rabiot, and Griezmann all being cautioned.
Belgium had a significant chance in the 15th minute when Carrasco dribbled past Hernandez and went down at the edge of the box, but the referee let play continue. In the 26th minute, Openda outpaced Upamecano and crossed to Lukaku, whose pass reached Carrasco, but his shot was blocked by Rabiot. Lukaku was notably absent in the first half, with the fewest touches of the ball (8).
France continued to press, and in the 34th minute, Kounde sent a good cross to Thuram, who headed the ball just wide. Minutes later, Tchouameni took a shot from distance, but the ball missed Casteels’ left post by a small margin.
The first half ended with only one shot on target out of nine attempts for France, and Belgium managed just one blocked shot by Rabiot. France gradually increased their tempo, achieving 59% possession and an xG of 0.38 but failed to break the deadlock.
Own Goal Decides the Fate of yet Another Game in the Euros
Just a few minutes into the second half, France had the first serious opportunity. Kante passed to Tchouameni, who shot towards the right corner, but Casteels made a great save. Griezmann maintained the pressure and crossed for Thuram, who headed the ball over the bar.
Mbappe tried to break the deadlock in the 54th minute after dribbling past three Belgian defenders, but his shot went over the crossbar. France seemed to be in control, but Belgium also had their moments.
In the 60th minute, De Bruyne sent a perfect pass to Carrasco, but Hernandez made a decisive block. Carrasco has been off form since his transfer to Al-Shabab, consistently making poor decisions throughout the tournament, and this time he wasted one of Belgium’s best chances.
The game started to open up, with both teams searching for the winning goal. In the 78th minute, Kounde delivered a perfect pass to Mbappe, but his shot went wide. Belgium tried to respond, but France always seemed one step ahead. Belgium’s best chance came in the 83rd minute when Kevin De Bruyne, set up by Romelu Lukaku, fired a hurried but powerful shot towards the far corner, which was saved by Mike Maignan.
In the 85th minute, France finally broke the deadlock. Kolo Muani received the ball in the box, turned, and shot, with the ball deflecting off Vertonghen and into the net. France had scored two goals in the group stage, the first being an own goal and the second a penalty converted by Mbappe. This goal continued France’s trend of scoring through own goals or simple conversions, despite being one of the most offensively talented teams in the competition.
Key Players and Notable Statistics
Aurelien Tchouameni was one of France’s most active players in this match, effectively coordinating his teammates’ play from midfield. He had the most touches of the ball in the game (115) and was the second-highest in accurate passes, with 89. He was active at both ends of the pitch, with 7 defensive actions, tying with William Saliba, and had 4 shots on the offensive end, one of which was on target.
In the French defense, Jules Kounde stood out significantly, generating an expected assists (xA) of 0.42 with 5 key passes in the match. Like Tchouameni, he was influential at both ends of the field, leading the chart in tackles, tying with Wout Faes.
Jeremy Doku was one of Belgium’s most active players, involved in the rare moments when Belgium threatened Maignan’s goal. Kevin De Bruyne also had Belgium’s best chance to open the scoring just before Vertonghen’s own goal.
Conclusions
France secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory against Belgium, earning their spot in the Euro 2024 quarterfinals. It was an intense match with numerous chances on both sides, but ultimately, a late own goal by Jan Vertonghen made the difference.
For France, this victory ensures a place in the quarterfinals, where they will face either Portugal or Slovenia. On the other hand, Belgium faces a premature exit for the second consecutive tournament. Despite having good moments and creating chances, they failed to finish, which cost them the qualification.
