A late own goal by Jan Vertonghen sent France into the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 at Belgium’s expense.
A game that had lacked quality and excitement for large periods looked destined for extra time, but a shot by substitute Randal Kolo Muani deflected off Vertonghen with five minutes remaining to seal the victory at Dusseldorf Arena.
France had missed several chances before that as once again their lack of a cutting edge let them down, and even captain Kylian Mbappe put efforts he would normally finish wide.
Belgium could even have taken the lead themselves before France’s late goal as Manchester City midfielder Kevin de Bruyne charged into space through the middle, but his shot was pushed behind by Mike Maignan.
That had been the below-par Belgians only decent opportunity as France closed out the final few minutes to progress to the last eight, where they will face Portugal after their dramatic penalty shootout win over Slovenia.
Didier Deschamps’ side were deserved winners, but this will be relief more than anything for the 2018 world champions as they once again struggled to turn chances into goals.
They dominated play for large periods, but only managed a single shot on target in the first half when Antoine Griezmann’s low strike from distance was comfortably saved.
In Mbappe they have one of the world’s best forwards but even he found it difficult when faced with shooting opportunities, notably curling over in the second half after having done well initially to make the space for himself.
In the end they finished with 19 shots on goal but just two of those were on target, while they are still waiting for their first goal from open play so far in Germany.
In a theme that will be familiar to a number of the bigger sides left in Euro 2024, France are struggling to play at the level they are capable of but for now they will celebrate being one step closer to the final.
What next for Belgium’s ‘golden generation’?
Belgium were booed off the pitch by some fans when they could only manage a draw against Ukraine in their final group game, but in the hours before this match there was hope from their supporters that they would lift their game against the French.
However, once again they were far too cautious for long periods and their threatening moments were all too brief.
But they should have made France pay for their profligacy with De Bruyne’s effort in the closing stages, while Romelu Lukaku, who exits Euro 2024 without scoring a goal, also saw a low shot pushed away in the second half.
Like Croatia, this has felt like one final throw of the dice for Belgium’s ‘golden generation’, with the likes of De Bruyne and Lukaku now into their 30s.
And, like Croatia, they exit the tournament wondering if this was ultimately a missed opportunity for what could have been with this group of players. BBC.