France 1-0 Belgium: Player ratings for the Blues as Jan Vertonghen's own goal sends them into last 8 | UEFA Euro 2024
France advanced to the quarter-finakls of Euro 2024 following a hard-fought 1-0 win over Belgium on Monday. Jan Vertonghen inadvertently turned Randall Kolo Muani's shot into his own net with only five minutes of normal time remaining to give Les Bleus the win.
In a clash of two heavyweights, chances were few and far between in the opening stanza with neither France nor Belgium able to find inspiration. But things started to open up in the second half.
Aurelien Tchouameni, Marcus Thuram and Kylian Mbappe all came close within 10 minutes of the restart as Les Bleus came back from the interval stronger. In the 60th minute, William Saliba was caught out near the halfway line and Yannick Carrasco raced forward until Theo Hernandez jumped in to make a vital block just as the Al-Shabab player was about to shoot.
Romelu Lukaku, who endured a frustrating campaign at Euro 2024, saw a shot saved by Mike Maignon from close range in the 83rd minute, and just shortly after, France were in front.
Kolo Muani collected a pass from the right and tried his luck from a tight angle. It took a deflection off Vertonghen before crashing into the back of the net. Seeing off the remainder of the contest, France sealed their place in the last eight, as Belgium went home. The 2018 World Cup winners next play either Portugal or Slovenia.
Here are the player ratings for France:
Mike Maignon - 7/10
He made his first serious save of the game in the 83rd minute when Romelu Lukaku fired from close range but had to remain vigilant whenever Belgium came close.
Jules Kounde - 8/10
The right-back had a stormer once again, blazing forward to link up with the attackers and add an extra layer to their attack with his flair and flamboyance. Indeed, Kounde made five key passes and crosses each, and demonstrated his ball-winning capabilities by winning five ground duels too.
Dayot Upamecano - 7/10
Belgium rarely threatened but that didn't sway Upamecano, who remained vigilant all throughout and positioned himself well in anticipation of any incoming danger.
William Saliba - 7.5/10
The Arsenal man made four clearances and two interceptions to produce another solid display in defense. His only sore note of the game was getting caught out near the halfway line in the 60th minute but Theo Hernandez bailed him out with a superb block.
Theo Hernandez - 7.5/10
Speaking of Hernandez, his vital block off Yannick Carrasco in the 60th minute showed what a quality defender he is. The 26-year-old made some promising runs forward that had Belgium on the edge and misplaced just one of his 77 passes.
N'Golo Kante - 7.5/10
As always, the midfield maestro covered a lot of ground, and set up one good chance for Tchouameni which was saved.
Aurelien Tchouameni - 7.5/10
A brilliant all-round display from the Real Madrid midfielder, who was key to breaking down Belgium's movements but also looked surpringly threatening on the offense. He laid three key passes and tested Belgian 'keeper Koen Casteels in the second half with a low, curling strike.
Adrien Rabiot - 7/10
He linked up nicely with more advanced players like Griezmann and Mbappe and composed himself after getting into the books early on for a foul on Amadou Onana.
Antoine Griezmann - 7.5/10
France's creative chieftain was at it again, laing three key passes and five crosses. His only shot on target came in the 10th minute, but it was tame.
Marcus Thuram - 6.5/10
His positioning was a cause for concern for Belgium but Thuram was sorely lacking in the end-product on the night. He came in with two chances aerially, but ended up heading both wide.
Kylian Mbappe - 8/10
Mbapppe's nimble footwork was on full display, with the forward often cutting inside from the left to create a chance or shoot. Unfortunately for him, none of his attempts were on target.
Substitutes
Randall Kolo Muani - 7.5/10
He forced the own goal from Jan Vertonghen in the 85th minute with a powerful attempt from a tight angle that deflected off the Belgian defender.