At 0:00 a.m. on July 2, Beijing time, the round of 16 knockout round of the European Cup ushered in a strong dialogue, France against Belgium. In the group stage, the two teams with the stronger strength on paper did not play strongly, and both qualified as second place, and met early in the knockout round.
In the historical meeting, the two teams met in the knockout round of the 2018 World Cup, and France won by 1 goal; The last time the two sides met was in the 2021 UEFA Nations League, where France eliminated Belgium again. It is worth mentioning that France have won all of their matches against Belgium in the tournament. In this matchup, France will also have a psychological advantage.
France, ranked No. 2 in the world, has outstanding players such as Mbappe, Griezmann, and Tchouameni on the lineup, and is good at seizing opportunities for offensive and defensive conversions, Mbappe's speed and explosiveness are an important point in tearing through the opponent's defense, but the team's wonderful performance in the tournament in recent years has also been deeply targeted by other countries, and the recent midfield's breakthrough and defensive ability have declined, which has also led to low conversion efficiency, weak attack, and only 2 goals in the group stage.
Coach Didier Deschamps said before the game: "We try to play at our best, play more efficiently, the opponents are very good and we are ready for the penalty shoot-out.
Belgium has gradually risen in recent years, ranking third in the world, with good strength, midfield master De Bruyne controls the team's attacking direction, and the combination of Doku and Lukaku on the front line is also quite impactful.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference, coach Tedesco said: "I know France are good, we need to perform at the top and keep the confidence and the successive defeats in the past are also a motivation to break the curse.
Pre-match analysis
Belgium's attacks rely more on De Bruyne's movements, while Mbappe's ability to attack is also crucial for France, and both sides will do their best to deploy in a targeted manner. In this campaign, the two teams are-for-tat and are expected to enter the penalty shootout!