Tired performance

France motto: victory more important than a good game

Kylian Mbappé is still not finding his feet at this EURO.

(Bild: APA/AFP/FRANCK FIFE)

France's minimalists are striving unspectacularly but successfully towards the decisive games of the European Football Championship. An own goal gave "Les Bleus" a place in the quarter-finals on Monday, and the 1:0 win against Belgium in Düsseldorf will go down in the history books as a laborious victory for the favourites. The "blue bunker" (L'Equipe) in front of France goalkeeper Mike Maignan held firm again. Up front, Kylian Mbappe is still not a major factor following his broken nose.

The match between world number two France and third-placed Belgium was not unexpectedly lacking in spectacle. The French, who only scored two goals in the group matches - an own goal from Maximilian Wöber and a penalty from Mbappe - were dominant for long stretches, but once again lacked any great penetration. The Belgians, who also fell short of expectations, concentrated on defending and counter-attacking.

The decisive goal in the 85th minute was significant. Randal Kolo Muani forced the decisive deflection off Jan Vertonghen with a shot that was harmless in itself. "It's not important to play beautifully. What counts is winning," said Adrien Rabiot, not without good reason. After all, France shot 20 times in the direction of the Belgian goal. The victory was "logical", said Rabiot, who was suspended for the quarter-final.

Quarter-final against Portugal
Kolo Muani emphasized: "Of course we should be more efficient in front of goal. But the defense is the key to success." The next task will be a clash with Cristiano Ronaldo's Portuguese side in Hamburg on Friday (21:00). Here too, Didier Deschamps will be relying on his backline to prevent the ball-playing Iberians from developing. Deschamps raved about the "defensive stability" and ball control of his team. "I'm very proud of what we did," said Deschamps and spoke of a great game. "We have to enjoy it. We can't talk it down."

The fact that top star Mbappe played inconspicuously two weeks after suffering a broken nose against Austria (1-0) in Düsseldorf should nevertheless give the Frenchman pause for thought. The future Real Madrid star had repeatedly complained in the past few days about the major impairment caused by his face mask. In fact, the 25-year-old posed little danger. Antoine Griezmann's performance as an attacking free spirit behind the two strikers could also be improved.

The Belgians were once again forced to concede early. In the 83rd minute, their star Kevin de Bruyne failed to beat Maignan with a powerful shot, and shortly afterwards the decisive goal was conceded. Coach Domenico Tedesco sat on the podium in the catacombs of Düsseldorf's EM Arena with an almost petrified expression and could not really explain the defeat. "It's very difficult for me to go into detail. We are very, very disappointed," said the German-Italian.

After another early exit for the "Red Devils" at a major tournament, the pressure on the coach is also likely to increase. Tedesco still has a contract until 2026 and, according to reports, has the necessary backing within the association. In the Belgian media, however, Tedesco's tactics in particular have been criticized as useless. The De Bruyne/Lukaku duo were "underchallenged throughout the tournament", wrote Le Soir.

Romelu Lukaku was one of the unluckiest players at the finals. Three of his goals were disallowed after VAR interventions and he ended up scoreless. "When you think about it, Romelu goes home without a goal after these games. That Jeremy Doku went home without a goal or an assist. That's unfortunate, it's unbelievable," said Tedesco. At least De Bruyne and Co. were applauded by the Belgian fans, unlike in the 0-0 draw against Ukraine in the last group game. Nevertheless, the tournament is over again for the eternal secret favorites.