Domenico Tedesco had pulled a few rabbits out of his hat for this round of 16. And at times, it worked. Jules Koundé, elected Man of the Match, admitted to having been very surprised.
What a match Jules Kounde. The FC Barcelona full-back was omnipresent on his flank, whether it was to prevent Jeremy Doku from launching his arabesques or to multiply the often dangerous crosses. He was elected Man of the Match, but remained modest.
“I’m continuing what I’ve done in recent months at Barcelona, I feel good. Of course, I have to adapt to this team. My vocation is above all defensive but when there is space, I try to get into it,” explains Koundé.
He was thus able to take advantage of the generosity of the Theate-Doku flank. “I knew that I would have a lot of space, because Doku does not particularly like to defend,” admits the Barcelona player. “Antoine (Griezmann) also helped me a lot, by cutting trajectories and having influence in the game. He had a good match.”
The Belgian tactics, however, have somewhat disturbed Jules Koundé. “I was a bit surprised that Belgium played so deep, yes. I expected them to be more offensive, given the composition of the team,” he confesses.
“Of course, it is possible that our team has players of such quality that it makes the opponent a little cautious,” concludes Koundé.
