July 02, (THEWILL) – France clinched their spot in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals with a hard-fought 1-0 win against Belgium. The match, held on Monday, saw Les Bleus extend their winning streak against the Red Devils to five consecutive victories in major tournaments.
The highly anticipated clash between the two footballing powerhouses initially failed to live up to expectations. Despite the presence of star strikers Kylian Mbappé and Romelu Lukaku, the first half was largely uneventful. Kevin De Bruyne’s deflected free-kick midway through the opening period provided the only notable goalkeeping action.
As the match progressed, France began to assert their dominance. Aurélien Tchouaméni’s impressive long-range pass to Jules Koundé created a promising opportunity, but Marcus Thuram’s header narrowly missed the target. The second half saw an increase in French pressure, with Tchouaméni forcing a smart save from Belgian goalkeeper Koen Casteels.
Belgium had their chances, with Yannick Carrasco coming close to breaking the deadlock, only to be denied by a last-ditch block from Theo Hernández. Kevin De Bruyne also saw a promising effort saved by Mike Maignan as the match appeared to be heading towards extra time.
However, the deadlock was finally broken in the closing stages when Randal Kolo Muani’s shot took a crucial deflection off Jan Vertonghen, wrong-footing Casteels and securing France’s place in the last eight. The former world champions will now face either Portugal or Slovenia in Friday’s quarter-final, while Belgium’s “Golden Generation” once again fell short on the big stage.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
