France 1-0 Belgium: 5 Talking Points as Les Bleus Storm into Final, World Cup 2018
France beat Belgium 1-0 in the first semi-final of the 2018 World Cup at the St Petersburg Stadium on Tuesday to book their place in the final.
A Samuel Umtiti goal in the second half was enough for Les Bleus to eliminate the Red Devils in a tense encounter that saw both teams create a number of opportunities over the course of 96 pulsating minutes.
Here are the major talking points from the game.
#1 Belgium's lopsided formation sees them create chances early
With Thomas Meunier suspended after picking up one yellow card too many, Roberto Martinez had to make changes to the starting lineup and Belgium had to adapt. In came Nacer Chadli on the right but he was deployed in a right wing-back role rather than a right-back role.
Belgium still persisted with a 3-4-3 formation but Jan Vertonghen was still playing more as a left-back. It was a back-four when they lost possession with Chadli slotting back in the right-back slot while Mousa Dembele remained in midfield out on the left.
This allowed Chadli to spread Belgium's attack and he was heavily involved in the opening stages of the match (his crossing skills also came in handy on corners). What worked in Belgium's favour was that France did not exploit that flank while Belgium also had more possession.
With Blaise Matuidi playing in a midfield role and Antoine Griezmnn drifting towards the centre, the only outlet Les Bleus had on the left was left-back Lucas Hernandez. As a result, Belgium dominated proceedings, creating chances and asking many questions of Hugo Lloris and the French defence.