In the 1/8 finals of the European Cup, the French team eliminated the Belgian team with a score of 1-0. Throughout the game, both teams performed mediocre, with France securing a place in the quarter-finals of the European Championship thanks to an own goal from Jan Vertonghen.
Throughout the game, the French backline was one of the few places to be satisfied. Since the start of the European Championships, the defenders of the French team have also reassured coach Didier Deschamps. Apart from that penalty from Robert Lewandowski, they haven't conceded a goal since the start of the campaign.
In this game, in addition to once again keeping a clean sheet, the defenders of the French team performed impressively against strong opponents. Dayo Yupamicano, Theo Hernandez, Willem Saliba and Jules Kounde, serious and hardworking, have been excellent in defence and helped France keep their defence solid.
On the right flank, Jules Kounde was outstanding and was named the best player of the game. He was brilliant against a suppressed Jeremy Doku and made four tackles and five key passes for his team-mates.
Willian Saliba and Dayo Hupmecano complement each other in the centre-back position and are able to cope with the occasional outbursts of inspiration from Lois Opanda and Romelu Lukaku.
Theo Hernandez has not been outstanding in attack, but he has been very solid in defence.
Adrian Rabiot was also very pleased with his performance: "We were relieved by this goal. We played a good game, we defended well and we had a good ability to follow-up. It was a perfect game."
While France may not have played flamboyantly in the game, they can certainly rely on that defensive foundation to go far in this tournament.