Thanks to its tasteless draw against Ukraine (0-0), Wednesday in Stuttgart during the third and final day of Group E, Belgium takes second place and will face the Blues on Monday in the round of 16.
Sluggish and uninspired offensively, Belgium was held in check on Wednesday by Ukraine (0-0) in Stuttgart but qualified for the round of 16 of Euro-2024, where it will meet France for a reunion after the semi-final of the 2018 World Cup.
Jeered by its supporters, very disappointed to have seen their team be satisfied with the result instead of trying to snatch first place, Belgium will once again cross paths with the Blues for a clash between neighbors in the round of 16.
Minimalist and endangered at the end of the match by the Ukrainians who tried to prolong their “fairy tale” until the end, the Red Devils finished second in their group behind Romania.
The French also finished second in their group, Group D, after their victory (1-0) against Austria on June 17 for their entry into the competition then the draws against the Netherlands (0-0) on Friday last and against Poland (1-1) on Tuesday.
– A taste of revenge –
On paper, Belgium was the worst scenario for our Blues. But Romania, Ukraine and Slovakia did not do poorly in these first days of competition, winning one match each respectively.
A match with a taste of revenge for the Red Devils who lost the semi-final of the 2018 World Cup against France
The oppositions between the two teams have become a classic: Belgium is the opponent that France has faced most often in its history: 75 matches, 26 victories for the Blues and 30 defeats.
– A difficult start to the competition for the Blues –
This round of 16 promises to be difficult for our Blues who have not shone so far in this Euro football.
The inadequacy of the French attack remains the big black point of the first round. The only two goals scored by the Blues were the work of Austrian defender Maximilian Wöber against his side (1-0) and Kylian Mbappé from the penalty spot against a very weak Poland (1-1), already eliminated.
Behind the captain, initially diminished before suffering a broken nose at the end of the first meeting, no one managed to emerge.
Ousmane Dembélé is struggling to make a difference, Marcus Thuram has shown him some rather crippling technical deficiencies, Antoine Griezmann seems to drag his spleen onto the pitch with incessant changes in positioning which seem to disturb him.
www.imazpress.com with AFP/[email protected]
News from France, AFP
