Kolo Muani helps France into EURO 2024 quarter-finals at Belgium's expense
A deflected Randal Kolo Muani shot sent France into the EURO 2024 quarter-finals at the expense of Belgium after a tense 1-0 victory for Les Bleus in Düsseldorf on Monday.
France 1-0 Belgium
Goal: Vertonghen 85’ (o.g.)
France boss Didier Deschamps made a tactical switch as he brought Antoine Griezmann back into the starting XI at the tip of a midfield diamond with Kylian Mbappé and former Borussia Mönchengladbach man Marcus Thuram up front. The pair created danger if not clear-cut chances in a cagey first half: Thuram did send a good header wide before Mbappé fired over. The France captain teed up Aurélien Tchouaméni, but the Real Madrid midfielder was also unable to keep his shot down. He did early in the second half, forcing former Wolfsburg goalkeeper Koen Casteels into a good save; largely kept quiet, Belgium's all-time leading scorer Romelu Lukaku eventually broke free of the France defence to bring Mike Maignan into action. William Saliba fired wide after creating space for himself before the game turned in the space of a minute. First, Maignan turned away a powerful Kevin De Bruyne strike - had the former Wolfsburg man opted for a little more precision, he might have found the net - before substitute Kolo Muani turned goalwards at the opposite end. The ex-Eintracht Frankfurt forward's shot flicked off defender Jan Vertonghen, sending Casteels the wrong way and propelling the double European champions into the last eight.
Watch: All Randal Kolo Muani's 2022/23 Bundesliga goals
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