When France faced Belgium, fans around the world were expecting a battle of attacks, after all, the two teams had played each other in the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup, and the intensity of the match was even more intense than the final.
However, this time the 90 minutes in Dusseldorf really did not match the star-studded attacking side of the two teams, with only four shots on target combined, while France only relied on an own goal in the final stages to advance to the last eight.
Belgium had a premeditated retreat
To a certain extent, the willingness of the Belgian team to show weakness determined the content of the game.
From the very beginning, the formation of the European Red Devils retreated deeply, De Bruyne rarely stepped forward, and stood in front of the back line most of the time, except for Doku's wide break and long ball to find Lukaku, Belgium invested limited in attack.
Half-time stats showed that Belgium had just one shot on goal and did not hit the goal, with 0 corners and 0 offsides.
As you can imagine, Belgium's attack lacked depth, with a shot on goal in the first half of a World Cup setting a new record for France since the 2006 World Cup, with a total of five shots on goal in a full-time tournament, the fewest in a major tournament since Belgium in 1990.
The Belgians were a bit unrecognizable to their opponents, with French defender Jules Kounde admitting that he was surprised: "I thought they would be more aggressive, especially when I saw their starting line-up (five attackers, Kevin De Bruyne, Carrasco, Romelu Lukaku, Doku and Odenda). ”
Tedesco (right) unsuccessfully played a game with Didier Deschamps.
De Bruyne's post-match interview confirmed that the team's lack of desire in attack was premeditated, "We had a plan and it was executed well, and given the quality of the French team, we knew we wouldn't have much possession. When you give them enough space, it's very difficult for Mbappe and Griezmann to defend one-on-one, so we decided to drop back. ”
It can be boldly guessed that Belgium coach Tedesco has used his brains for this game, and through his performance in the group stage, he may think that Belgium is not enough to compete with France head-on, and it is the right way to put up a fence and wait for an opportunity to counterattack. Speaking after the game, Tedesco said he wanted to make the most of the space behind the French defenders.
The problem is that Didier Deschamps, opposite him, is a restrained manager.
On the field, France had the advantage, but Deschamps was not in a hurry to eat his opponent in one bite, especially when he could not break the deadlock for a long time, Deschamps still sat firmly on the Diaoyu Tai. He replaced Thuram Jr. after just 60 minutes with Muani, while he had the likes of Dembele, Olivier Giroud and Coman on the bench. Speaking after the game, Deschamps said: "We didn't fall into the trap set by our opponents. ”
A chess game in which Deschamps' patience was rewarded
Obviously, Deschamps would rather be patient than take more risky and radical moves, and he knows the importance of stability.
Since taking over the position of coach of the French team in 2012, the worst result of the French team in five consecutive major tournaments was the 1/8 finals of the last European Championship, which was a two-goal lead and lost control of the game under a huge psychological advantage, resulting in a penalty loss by Switzerland.
When the French team is not so afraid of the game time running out slowly, has been in good formation, and used the overall advantage to cannibalize the opponent, Tedesco's plan is not so perfect.
On the contrary, overestimating the French team's desire to win has made De Bruyne too far away from the opponent's goal, Belgium has also lost its most important weapon to win, and the lackluster attack has invisibly increased the pressure on the backline.
Tedesco also seemed to be aware of the problem, replacing an attacker with defensive midfielder Mangala in the second half, returning De Bruyne to his familiar position, and Belgium played some counter-attacks.
The moment when Vertonghen swings an oolong.
The match was dubbed "a chess game" by the media at the post-match press conference. The suspense lasted until the final minutes of the game, when the 37-year-old Vertonghen stretched out his foot in the box to block Muani's shot, but the ball was deflected into his own net.
Gary Neville thinks Vertonghen made a big mistake, "Muani didn't make any amazing moves, but at that point Vertonghen should have moved forward faster, once you're a yard or two behind, it's in the category of poor defence, he's an experienced player and should know that. ”
It was a goal that seemed a bit unexplainable to the Belgian side, but in the contest of endurance and will, a veteran showed a little sluggishness in his reactions, which could also be considered a reward for Deschamps' patience, and he believed that the team's basic game did not need to make major adjustments to have the last laugh.
Keane admits that the quality of the game was not high, but he pointed out that France were relatively better, especially by keeping the backline safe at all times, and usually in such situations, the dominant side has a better chance of waiting for the winning goal.
Losing to luck and even more to strength, De Bruyne did his best
Of course, it would be unfair to look back and doubt Tedesco's strategy, and if they had opened up and played against France, Belgium might not have been able to hold out in the final stages of the game.
It wasn't a great game, but the two sides had taken the game on the pitch to the extreme. Overall, Belgium lost not only to luck but also to strength.
If Belgium, who were in their heyday in 2018, were only defeated by France due to a negligent defensive corner, now Belgium have a lower margin for error and will need more luck than the French to qualify.
De Bruyne could still walk away with his head held high after Belgium were eliminated, and the 33-year-old midfielder played all four games, contributing a goal and being named Man of the Match twice in group stage games against Ukraine and Romania. The stats show that he is also the player who has made the most passes through the ball (through the entire defence) so far in this tournament, and even if there were no highlights in this game, the distance of 11.62km is the first of all players in the game.
It can be said that De Bruyne has given everything he has, but as an important figure in Belgium's golden generation, he is obviously unable to lead in the face of today's team that alternates between the old and the new.
After the game, De Bruyne was asked if it would be Belgium's last international tournament, and De Bruyne regretted: "I still need some time to digest this defeat, and when the summer is over, I will make a decision." ”