7/01/24
Round of 16 
France 1 vs. Belgium 0

An act of Randal-ism smashes Belgian wall

Chris Wilson, 8 min ago
France rubber stamped their ticket to the Euro 2024 quarter-finals with a 1-0 victory over Belgium, leaving it late to bag their fifth successive H2H win at a major tournament.

Considering how highly anticipated this clash between two top-three FIFA ranked nations was, it would be fair to say the opening stages were something of a non-event. Despite pre-tournament golden boot contenders Kylian Mbappé and Romelu Lukaku starting, it took until the midway point of the first half for either side to force the opposition’s keeper into any notable action, as Kevin De Bruyne’s tame free-kick needed the help of a wicked deflection to make it a little more awkward.

Mike Maignan was somewhat awakened by that minor scare. And his outfield cohorts slowly started to show more life too as the half went on, manufacturing the best chance of the half when a raking 60-yard Aurélien Tchouaméni pass dropped perfectly on the toe of Jules Koundé. Although his cross found the head of Marcus Thuram, he could only head narrowly wide.

The French mustered a grand total of one shot on target in the opening 45 minutes, but within five of the second half, they’d equalled that tally. Tchouaméni continued to pull the strings from the middle of the park, this time firing an effort goalwards from 25 yards that forced a smart stop out of Koen Casteels. Meanwhile, the Red Devils’ attacking offerings remained sporadic, but they carved out a glorious opportunity when De Bruyne’s measured ball freed Yannick Carrasco. Incredibly though, a last-ditch Theo Hernández block denied what looked set to be a certain goal.

For all France’s pressure, the best chances were falling Belgium’s way. They couldn’t have handpicked anyone better than De Bruyne to receive a ball 20 yards from goal, but a fine Maignan save from the City man’s subsequent shot looked to ensure the game would go beyond regulation time. Randal Kolo Muani had other ideas though, twisting in the box and watching on with delight as his effort deflected off Jan Vertonghen and beat a wrong-footed Casteels.

That proved to be the stroke of luck the game needed to be decided, with Les Blues advancing to take on either Portugal or Slovenia on Friday evening. It was yet more major tournament woe for Belgium though, with the remainder of the ‘Golden Generation’ falling short when it mattered most.

Flashscore Man of the Match: Aurélien Tchouaméni (France)

France Belgium

7/01/24
Round of 16
Portugal 0(3) vs. Slovenia 0(0) (pens)

Stuttering Seleção advance despite Oblak heroics

Max Davis, 4 min ago
Portugal’s spluttered to the UEFA European Championships quarter-finals thanks to a 3-0 penalties win after a dismal 0-0 draw with Slovenia, who at least head home having reached the knockout stages of an international tournament for the first time ever.

Given that March’s shock 2-0 loss to Slovenia was Roberto Martínez’s first defeat on his 12th game in charge, it was never going to be an easy start for Portugal, and a markedly solid Slovenia rearguard initially proved extremely difficult to break down. Half chances flashed the way of Rafael Leão and Cristiano Ronaldo, but neither man was able to connect with excellent crosses and notch the opener. Having taken more shots than anyone else in this tournament without actually scoring, Ronaldo was utterly fixated on breaking his duck, and another squandered header was followed by a pair of free kicks thundered into the stands.

It was instead Slovenia who had the best of the first half’s final minutes, with star forward Benjamin Šeško firing down the throat of Diogo Costa. They were almost stunned on the stroke of HT though, by a low João Palhinha drive which brushed against the base of the post. Beating Jan Oblak – whom Ronaldo had failed to find a way past in their previous five meetings – was proving a difficult proposition for Portugal’s talismanic number seven, and even when he did rocket a set piece on target the towering Slovene was right behind it.

The excitement began to peter out as both sides prepared for extra time, although Šeško put wide on the counter before Ronaldo shot straight at Oblak with his best opportunity of the match so far. The Seleção had simply not created enough in normal time, but they were granted by far their best opportunity when Vanja Drkušić felled Diogo Jota in the area and referee Daniele Orsato pointed to the spot. Ronaldo was the man to step up once again, but he was denied by a sensational stop by Oblak, who pushed the penalty onto the post and out.

With penalties looking almost certain, Pepe stumbled to put Šeško through on goal, but a vital save by Diogo Costa denied him what would have been a famous winner. Agonisingly, Slovenia missed each of their first three penalty kicks, while Portugal scored all of theirs, including Bernardo Silva’s winner.

It was considerably more difficult than expected for Portugal in the end, but they nevertheless advanced to a blockbuster quarter-final against France, going one better than three years ago when they were beaten by Martínez’s Belgium. Regardless of the result, there will certainly still be celebrations in the streets of Ljubljana tonight, heralding a team which has brought unprecedented success to the little state in the crook of the Adriatic.

Flashscore Man of the Match: Jan Oblak (Slovenia)

Portugal Slovenia