A late Jan Vertonghen own goal was enough to secure France a narrow victory over Belgium in Düsseldorf.
Neither side was able to seize control of proceedings in a game that looked destined to go the distance.
Despite Les Blues recording 19 attempts on goal, they struggled to carve out many clear-cut openings and were rarely comfortable against Domenico Tedesco’s new-look Belgium.
Both sides put in strong defensive displays overall and will feel that they produced enough to advance to the quarter-final stage.
Belgium’s patience was almost rewarded as they created several good chances in the second half. Yannick Carrasco and Kevin De Bruyne both went close before France took the lead.
Ultimately though, Didier Deschamps’ men were able to call upon their knockout stage prowess and find a way to get the job done.
France will need more cutting edge if they are to go all the way
France leave the Düsseldorf Arena knowing that improvement is needed if they are to progress deep into Euro 2024.
In truth, the 2018 World Champions struggled to create the number of clearcut opportunities befitting of the quality they have in attacking areas.
They were limited to long-range efforts and struggled to transfer their possession into sustained spells of pressure on the Belgian goal.
Kylian Mbappe, sporting a face mask after breaking his nose in France’s first game of the tournament, was bright in parts but was unable to stamp his authority on proceedings. The same applied to fellow talismanic figure Antoine Griezmann who was well marshalled by the Belgian defence.
It was perhaps fitting that the French winner came courtesy of an own goal in the final ten minutes. They had only managed two shots on target from their 19 attempts on Koen Casteels’ goal before they took the lead.
In a game of fine margins, Belgium came up agonisingly short
Belgium, who came into the encounter as firm underdogs, acquitted themselves well and were able to demonstrate the quality that remains in their ranks.
But, they were too cautious and were unable to mount significant pressure on an underwhelming French side.
In tight knockout games that are difficult to control, the winning side is often the one that is able to rise to the occasion in match-defining periods.
With the game finely poised in the final 25 minutes, The Red Devils were not able to convert the chances that they created.
First, Carrasco’s indecision when played through on goal allowed Theo Hernández to recover and thwart any potential effort.
This was compounded moments later when De Bruyne fired straight at Mike Maignan from a promising position.
They were made the rue their wastefulness when Randal Kolo Muani's cross was deflected into his own net by Vertonghen on 85 minutes.
France sensed the opportunity and utilised their tournament experience to get over the line.
Les Blues’ tournament pedigree should not be underestimated
Despite not performing to the levels that many have come to expect, this talented French squad were able to find another way to win.
Far from their fluid mercurial best, they were strong and showed a steely resilience that will hold them in good stead going forward.
Adrien Rabiot and Aurélien Tchouaméni were impressive in the midfield and provided the energy and composure needed in a game where momentum shifted so quickly.
These are all signs of a battle-hardened international outfit who have the experience to grind out results when it matters.
If they can find a way to showcase their undoubted quality too, they will be very difficult to stop.
New era dawns for Belgium under Tedesco
With talk of the end of a ‘Golden Generation’ seeming to dominate discussions around the Belgian national team at every major tournament, finally, it seems that they can now move forward.
It is obvious to say that they could have achieved so much more with the amount of talent that they have had at their disposal over the past decade. The ruthless and binary nature of international tournaments has certainly not been kind to Belgium.
However, Tedesco now has the opportunity to mould and cultivate a young squad that is able to challenge once again. He has a talented pool of players to choose from and an operational set-up tailor made for success as a smaller nation.
His predecessor, Roberto Martinez, was afforded seven years at the helm of Belgian football. With time to work and carry the nation into a new era, the Italian may be able to bring success to European football’s perennial nearly men.
