What is the biggest disappointment for me at this European Championship? It was a few strong dialogue games in the group stage, and the lackluster ones made me hard to swallow.
In particular, the 0-0 match between France and the Netherlands can be said to be a representative of utilitarian football, and we put aside the conspiracy theories behind it, as far as the game itself is concerned. Match-fixing can also be played wonderfully, although the operation is a bit difficult, isn't your annual salary reflected in your acting skills? Outcome.........
So as the first strong dialogue in the knockout round, will it still be the same old routine? Still chewing wax and disappointing the fans?
Let's take a look at the data of the first knockout matches in the past
2012 knockout match Spain 2-0 France successfully revenge (06 World Cup France eliminated Spain 3-1)
2016 Knockout Tournament Italy 2-0 Spain Revenge (2012 Final Spain 4-1 Italy Victory)
Belgium 2020 1-0 Portugal (defending champions out)
Very interesting statistic, the first knockout match was either a successful revenge battle full of topics, or hot news about the defending champions being out. Although there are not many goals, it also makes the fans unable to eat melons.
So what will happen to France vs Belgium in this game?
Let's see that there are not many confrontations between the two, and there are not so many grievances and hatreds in the competition. The revenge plot that fans talk about the most is gone, and eating melons is suddenly half of the fun.
So if you were the director, how would you make the result of this game attract the eyes of fans, viewers and friends?
There are only two answers: a goal feast and an upset counterattack. Either there are a lot of goals, or France is out of the tournament.
An interesting little bit of knowledge that might help us at this time is that the game was played at the Mercury Entertainment Arena in Düsseldorf, and I looked at the map and saw that the city was very, very close to Belgium. Even from Brussels, the capital of Belgium, it is just over 2 hours by train.
I am optimistic that Belgium can play a strong fighting force in the atmosphere of half of the home stadium, and I personally think that Belgium will win directly and win 2-1 against France.
Mbappe stopped in the first round of the knockout round of the European Championship, and perhaps this low-key gesture can restart at Real Madrid.