key events
“France is in the quarter-finals thanks to two own goals and a penalty. It’s one thing to develop in a tournament, and then it’s whatever else,” Kari Tulinius says.
They are smarter than us.
“France may be doing something to earn favor from its target gods,” Peter says oh.
This is a cunning plan.
Post-match reaction: Will Unwin is here to bring you post-match reaction, because I’ve got to go and record the Guardian Football Weekly podcast. Thank you for your time and I’m sorry I couldn’t provide a better match.
Full time: France 1-0 Belgium
Jan Vertonghen inadvertently headed Randal Kolo Muani’s curled shot past his own disappointingly wrong-footed goalkeeper with just four minutes left to finish and send France through to the last eight of the competition. And truth be told, it was that kind of game.
90+4 minutes: It’s all over and please join me in prayer so we can all thank whatever deity is in your special corner for this. France reached the quarter-finals thanks to a poor own goal, consistent with a poor game.
90+3 minutes: Kevin De Bruyne’s corner is cleared by France. Wout Faces bowls the ball deep into the mixer. Griezmann clean.
90+2 minutes: We’re into three minutes of extra time as Belgium look for an equaliser. Doku sprints in from the left side of the penalty area and a shot is blocked. corner!!!
89 minutes: The goal was attributed to Vertonghen, who will no doubt be delighted. It was N’Golo Kante who passed the ball to Muani, whose miss-kick could have put France through to the quarter-finals. I’m not going to lie – even though I drew Belgium in the pub sweepstakes and there’s still over £100 worth of prizes left, I’d be very bummed if they got a chance to draw. How terrible this game has been.
87 minutes: According to the game, France is leading on the basis of one goal. They were playing the ball back and forth across the pitch just outside the Belgian penalty area and the ball reached Muani. His shot wasn’t neat, but it had enough pace to go in after taking a poor deflection off Vertonghen, giving Castells no chance.
Target France 1-0 Belgium (Vertonghen OG 85)
France is ahead! Randal Kolo Muani’s curled shot deflected past a wrong-footed Koen Castells.
83 minutes: Kevin De Bruyne has his head in his hands. Why? He had a low, sharp shot from just outside France’s penalty area which was saved by Megannan after good work down the left from Doku and Lukaku.
81 minutes: Harry Smart asks, “If it’s at the 90-minute mark, can we arrange some kind of emergency order to stop it going into extra time.” “I personally don’t care whether they go straight to penalties or settle it with a game of rock, paper, scissors, but I can’t stand any more than that.”
78 minutes: This is a game to be won but both teams are focusing most of their energy on not giving up. But what is this? Mbappé runs onto a Conde pass from across the Belgian penalty area and fires a shot high over the bar. Kounde was trying to pick out Griezmann and Mbappe may have been left with the Atletico Madrid man keeping his broken nose out of proceedings.
75 minutes: “Getting paid to watch the Euros is a very nice job for you,” writes Debra. “Is the game so terrible? Or are you just an unhappy person? Or an England fan?”
I’m telling it as I see it, Debs. And as an Irishman I can assure you that the scars inflicted on me by Jude Bellingham last night will never heal.
74 minutes: Corner of France. Griezmann’s delivery at the near post was cleared by the first man. France recycled the ball, Saliba cut inside Doku from the right side of the penalty area and shot wide.
72 minutes: Kante sent Muani upfield with a beautiful reverse pass near the halfway line, but the substitute’s first touch was as deft as a street-butter and Belgium got the ball back cheaply.
70 minutes: Belgian chance! Mangala drives from the left side of the France box and is picked out by Kevin De Bruyne, who sees his run. He pulls the ball back to Lukaku, whose low shot is well saved by Maignan. This is a big relief for France.
70 minutes: “The fork can’t be a G-wagon; That’s a Benz,” writes Joe Pearson. “Maybe a Peugeot 5008?”
69 minutes: France got the ball back and Tchoumeni fired another shot from distance over the bar.
66 minutes: Belgium have the ball in their own half and look determined to keep it there. Fes plays it with Onana who plays it with Castagne who plays it with Onana who plays it with Fes who plays it with Vertonghen who plays it with Thiet who plays it with Castells who Plays it with castegan and so on and so forth. rinse and repeat.
63 minutes: Some changes. Randal Kolo Muani is on for France in place of the ineffective Marcus Thuram. Belgium brought in Orel Mangala to play alongside Amadou Onana in midfield and allow Kevin De Bruyne to play further up the pitch. Lois Openda leads the way.
62 minutes: Kevin De Bruyne slipped Yannick Carrasco behind the French defense and he headed wide on the inside right. Theo Hernandez comes back and blocks his shot brilliantly. it was Big Chance for Belgium but their winger did not shoot fast enough.
60 minutes: For the first time in this game, the terrifying prospect of overtime crossed my mind. Urgh…
58 minutes: The Belgian manager is angry at the match officials, who let off two consecutive serious fouls on Jeremy Doku by Jules Kounde and the G-Wagon/Transit van.
58 minutes: Wout Fes intercepted a low Conde cross in the Belgian penalty area.
56 minutes: Mbappe makes a great diagonal run towards a low Kounde cross from the right side and tries to get his shot across the face of the goal and into the far corner. Wide. The idea was great but the execution left a lot to be desired.
53 minutes: The second half picks up where the first ended, with France in the lead but in desperate need of some cutting edge. An example: Mbappe darts in from the edge of the penalty area, cuts in from the left and then fires high over the bar. He had given Kevin De Bruyne a slip, and the Belgium captain could not risk fouling him for fear of giving away a penalty.
49 minutes: Aurelien Tchoumeni tried his luck from distance and his shot took a defender. Koen Castells gets down to his left to bat for a corner. France later won a free-kick wide from the left. The ball was sent to the mixer, half was cleaned and the ball fell nicely for Conde. His floated delivery into the box is good and Thuram heads over from seven or eight yards. Not very good, Marcus.
48 minutes: France passed the ball back and Lois Openda ran from one defender to another, but to no avail.
46 minutes: “I’m not surprised that neither manager has made any changes because strangely they would both be happy with how the first half went,” says Coisty on the ITV co-coms. “It will be interesting to see which coach actually makes a change to try to win the game instead of losing it.”
Wise words, spoken in a beautiful Scottish purr.
Second half: France 0-0 Belgium
46 minutes: Fasten your seat belts, here we go again. Amadou Onana and Kevin De Bruyne carry the ball forward and there have been no changes in personnel on either side that I am aware of.
an email: “Kante a Transit?” Chris Ross writes. “That guy is a G wagon. Peace and love.”
an email: “This is a typical Euro 2024 game: completely pedestrian,” writes Kev Macready. “Incidentally, isn’t it strange that the best player in this tournament is Kante? Like a Transit van winning the Grand Prix.”
Although I don’t necessarily agree that this is typical of the tournament, many supposedly great teams have had poor performances. There have been a lot of great games in this tournament, many of them involving Georgia.
Half Time: France 0-0 Belgium
It’s 45 minutes, none of us will ever be able to make a comeback and France are in the lead but are lacking the cutting edge that would have helped them take the lead they probably deserved. Belgium has shown signs of life but their head coach Domenico Tedesco Kevin De Bruyne has important work to do in the dressing room in the next 15 minutes.
45+1 min: Good work by Mbappé, who runs up and down the byline before pulling the ball back to Tchoumeni in a good shooting position. He lofts the ball over the bar because of course he does. It’s half time.
44 minutes: I have just been alerted to the fact that the name in the byline of this article Was Wrong and it has been corrected. Please feel free to direct your anger at Barry Glendening, as it is I who is tasked with reporting on this void. Taha Hashim is completely innocent and France has a corner. Jan Vertonghen cleared.
42 minutes: Mbappé played the ball wide to Kounde on the right. He plays it back to Griezmann, who plays it through Mbappe to Hernandez on the other side. For the love of God …
38 minutes: A Tchoumeni dink is cleared by Wout Face in the Belgium penalty area as France continue to press and probe. I think if anything, this game is the same Big steamy journey… Chess match.
37 minutes: Quick change of game from France. Jules Kounde’s cross is excellent but Marcus Thuram can’t get his header on target. He should have done better.
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