Familiar foes France and Belgium faced off on Monday 1 July in one of the most anticipated matches of the 2024 European Championship (EURO 2024) round of 16. Neither team lived up to expectations at the Düsseldorf Arena, with a second-half own goal sending Les Bleus through to the quarter-finals.
France and Belgium face off in a tough match
From Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann to Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku, the round of 16 clash between France and Belgium was not short of top talent. Unfortunately for viewers, it just didn’t work out for either team.
France’s Griezmann scored the first goal on Monday, but his gentle effort from outside the box didn’t look like it could beat the goalkeeper. Meanwhile, Belgium had only a couple of errant shots on goal to compensate for their efforts. They finished the first half without a single save from France goalkeeper Mike Maignan.
France started the second half much more lively and almost scored in the 49th minute, when midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni fired a ball from outside the box that was saved by the fingertips of Belgian goalkeeper Koen Casteels after a deflection. Mbappe created a great goal-scoring opportunity in the 54th minute, cutting in from the left flank and firing a shot towards goal. However, his shot was too powerful and flew over the crossbar.
The Real Madrid striker had another chance to score in the 78th minute when Jules Kounde found him in the box. To the dismay of the French fans, Mbappe failed to direct his effort. A few minutes later, De Bruyne had a chance to open the scoring, but Maignan blocked his powerful effort.
The deadlock was finally broken in the 85th minute thanks to a massive deflection from Jan Vertonghen. Randal Kolo Muani’s sloppy shot bounced off the centre-back’s knee and into the back of the net. Belgium were trying hard to turn things around but there wasn’t enough left in the tank.
Jules Kounde wins Man of the Match award in EURO 2024 round of 16
In a match lacking energy, right-back Kounde produced a memorable performance. He was solid on the right against Jermey Doku, involved in France’s build-up and created the most chances (5) in the match. Throughout the match, he completed 56 of 63 passes, delivered three accurate crosses, won three tackles and won five duels.
Thanks to his heroics, the Barcelona player was awarded the prestigious UEFA Euro 2024 Best Player of the Match award.
