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Match 1: France vs Belgium
Match analysis: The reunion of the 2018 World Cup semi-final rivals will be the focus of Euro 2024 round of 16, with France and Belgium meeting in Fortuna Dusseldorf.
Both teams failed to show true quality in the group stage and were forced to unexpectedly finish second due to a disappointing draw in their last game.
Wearing his protective mask, Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe finally broke his European Championship record of zero goals on France's third attempt in their recent Group D clash with Poland, scoring a penalty early in the second half before the Pole had a 12-yard chance of his own.
While France goalkeeper Mike Megnan initially turned down starting Robert Lewandowski, the AC Milan striker was penalised for crossing the line, which led his Barcelona rivals to adopt the same preparation, aim for the same corner and achieve a different, desired result in a low-key 1-1 stalemate.
An enraged Maignan took aim at the penalty rules, but Didier Deschamps' side were forced to accept second place in the group, thanks to Austria's sensational victory over the Netherlands.
As Ralph Langenik's side prepare to take on Turkey against friendlier opponents, underperforming France face several huge hurdles on their way to the final, with Portugal, Germany and Spain all in the same round of 16 group.
Still, a goal conceded in the group stage is the second-best defensive record in its category, behind unbeaten Spain, while Lewandowski's penalty was the only goal scored by Didier Deschamps' side in their last five matches.
—— Why France will win ——
Mbappe wore a protective face shield after breaking the bridge of his nose, which was not easy for him. Unfortunately, it was uncomfortable and limited many of Mbappe's movements. However, Mbappe entered the knockout stages after scoring a penalty after his return. Now, the ultimate test for Mbappe will be to get more chances to score.
Ousmane Dembele is another famous striker who will try to pull off some miracles on the pitch. However, he still hasn't had more than six shots on goal in this European Cup.
Tchouameni led the midfielders and just completed 42 passes against Poland. Meanwhile, Adrian Rabiot had 37 passes while N'Golo Kante had 41. Antoine Griezmann has only played 29 minutes, however, he could still be a threat if he has more time.
The defence has been solid for the French team. So far, they have suppressed other teams and goalscoring opportunities. Upamecano led with 26 tackles and 18 clearances. In addition, William Saliba made 15 tackles and made 14 clearances. Jules Kounde has made 26 tackles and made 11 clearances. In the end, Theo Hernandez played a solid game with 24 tackles and 8 clearances. The quartet did a great job of helping goalkeeper Mike Maignan, who made nine saves and conceded just one.
If Mbappe can create some chances on the pitch and score a goal in the box, France will win this game. The defence must then stop Belgium's best players throwing at them, including one of the all-time top scorers who is struggling.
These laudable defensive statistics will be a tough test for Belgium, who have failed to score in two of their three Group E matches, with all four teams scoring the same goal by incredible scorelines.
Domenico Tedesco's side appeared to have rediscovered their attacking touch when they beat Romania 2-0 in their second game, but came to a standstill in Wednesday's goalless draw against Ukraine. In this draw, they had to thank both Cohen Castles and Ukraine for the wasted opportunity that saved Belgium's European Championship qualification.
Belgium quietly moved into second place in the group after trailing Romania and their leading goal gap when the eliminated Ukraine left in frustration, but Tedesco's side scored just two goals in the group stage; Serbia, on the other hand, scored fewer goals, leaving Belgium with a number of difficult problems to tackle in attack.
While Kylian Mbappe has already scored his first goal at the European Championships, the unlucky Romelu Lukaku is yet to open his Euro 2024 goal account, but Belgium can take solace in the fact that only one of their last 18 matches in all competitions has ended in defeat.
Belgium have often been France's arch-rivals over the past century, losing 0-1 in the 2018 World Cup semi-finals and also losing 2-3 to Didier Deschamps' side in the 2021 Nations League semi-finals, but Portugal or Slovenia will await Belgium if they can beat France.
—— Why Belgium will win ——
The Euros have been a disaster for Romelu Lukaku so far. Unfortunately, despite his 11 shots, he couldn't find the back of the net. But Lukaku did help. He wants to score a goal and will do everything possible to overcome this challenging French attack. Jeremy Doku didn't do anything either. However, he had 40 passes in his final game
Kevin De Bruyne led the midfielders and scored the equaliser from 10 shots. Meanwhile, his teammate Amadou Onana was also an excellent passer, getting 60 passes in his last match. Youri Tielemans had 44 passes in their last game.
But the defense was as solid as ever. Vertonghen led the game with 13 tackles and 10 clearances in three games. Timothy Castagne was outstanding at the back, with 18 tackles and 17 clearances. Wout Fass was outstanding with 33 tackles and six clearances. Remarkably, the trio have done an excellent job of helping goalkeeper Cohen Castelzi, who has made 12 saves and conceded just one goal in three games.
If Romelu Lukaku can put in a performance of a lifetime and give Belgium the lead early, then Belgium will win this game. Then, the whole defense needs to stop Mbappe from scoring.
—— Forecast ——
Romelu Lukaku is one of the best goalscorers in the world and will surely shine in this game. However, the French team was much better than the Belgian team when the attack was full of firepower. Expect the French players to find some great opportunities for Mbappe to score in the box. Then, the defense and Maignan will do enough to help France win this game and advance to the quarterfinals.
While both managers possess enviable attacking firepower, neither team is attacking at the Euros, which would result in a boring game in which the defence should largely prevail in most cases.
If there is a goal in the 90 minutes, it should belong to the French team.
Recommend:
Favour France to win 1-0 2-0 2-1