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France advance to the quarterfinals: a victory of luck against Portugal's challenge
After a tense and dreary rivalry, France secured a surprise win and progressed, before facing Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal in the quarter-finals, with the balance of fate seemingly tipping in their favour.
Luck, an elusive but often crucial factor, once again reveals its magic at a critical moment. After 85 minutes of stalemate, France looked like they were about to go into extra time against a rock-solid Belgian defence. But at this moment, the god of luck quietly descended. Rising star Muani had a back-to-back shot from inside the box that deflected twice before eerily past Belgium goalkeeper Karlstels. This goal, which was officially attributed to the misfortune of Belgian defender Vertonghen, allowed the French team to score a total of three goals in the journey of this European Championship, with two own goals and one penalty, and successfully advanced to the quarterfinals. This dramatic approach to victory was almost unique apart from England's magical strike late in the game.
Despite being the best defensively, the Belgians almost dragged the game into a playoff in their favour, but they were unable to resist the joke of fate and swallowed the defeat. The French team, with the smile of Lady Luck, stepped into the next battlefield with their heads held high.
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Core collision and fate: Mbappe vs De Bruyne
In a direct conversation between Mbappe and Kevin De Bruyne, Belgium missed out on a late long-range shot that was cleared by the goalkeeper, and fate seemed to be playing a harsher side in this contest.
Compared to France, Belgium seems to have been the most unlucky team in this tournament. Romelu Lukaku's three cheers were missed, and he only provided one assist in the whole game, although it was not something he could control personally, but it became an after-dinner joke for the fans. Had the Roma striker had had his feet a little better, Belgium might have avoided a clash with France in the round of 16.
Against France, Belgian coach Tedesco showed his signature tactics of defensive counterattack. The team's defensive line squatted low and set up steadily, patiently waiting for the gaps left by the French offensive with the intention of killing the enemy with one blow. This strategy effectively restrained the positional warfare that the French team was not good at, and the extremely fast Mbappe rarely had a chance to show his breakthrough talent throughout the tournament. Several attempts by the French captain ended in team-mate Tchouameni's long-range shot off target, or they were stillborn under Belgium's tight multi-man pack, and ended the attack with a hastily long-range shot. Before Muani's goal, it was a surprise that midfield barrier Tchouameni was the player with the most shots on goal for France. However, the Real Madrid midfielder was clearly not in the best form of the shot, with several attempts flying high and the closest to scoring was deflected by a defender before being deflected away by the vigilant Castels.
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The epitome of Te'o's key defense and Franco-Biss's defensive battle
Theo Hernandez's extreme comeback successfully dismantled Carrasco's attempt to shoot on goal, and Te'o always had the upper hand in the one-on-one duel that became a typical example of the defensive game between France and Belgium.
In contrast to France's struggles in attack, Belgium used Doku and Romelu Lukaku's frequent harassment up front, combined with Kevin De Bruyne's precise scheduling in a quick counter-attack, to create a series of more threatening attacking opportunities. However, in the face of Te'o's tough defence, right winger Carrasco had little advantage in the confrontation, and the defensive barrier between Saliba and Upamecano made it difficult for Belgium's attacking line to find opportunities. It was this kind of defensive tug-of-war that the Belgian team relied on to almost drag the game into extra time, almost forcing the French team into a desperate situation. It wasn't until the light of fortune suddenly shone on the side of the French team that the situation took a dramatic turn.
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France: A regular and lucky darling of own goals
For the fifth time in the European Championships, France have benefited from an own goal, a record that is the highest of any team in the competition, and they are undoubtedly a team favored by Lady Luck.
In competitive sports, where wins often overshadow everything, and with Belgium's high level of performance on the defensive end, Didier Deschamps' conservative tactics have not drawn widespread criticism. However, judging from the course of the game, this victory won by chance may not be able to cheer the fans. After all, as the tournament progresses, every battle is a tough one, and no one can guarantee that good luck will always be on their side.
Didier Deschamps took a more cautious and even passive approach to Belgium's low post, with both teams experimenting with non-threatening passes for most of the first half, a tactical choice that was understandable in itself, but France's attacking approach to breaking down a dense defence was too direct and lacked variety, which did not match its image as a strong team. In the 90 minutes of the game, apart from a desperate substitution of Muani in the second half, De has not used the remaining substitutions, which makes one wonder what his true tactical intentions are. Could it be that his planned strategy was to drag the game into extra time or even a penalty shootout? This can't help but lead to reverie.
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On the eve of Mbappe's challenge to idol Cristiano Ronaldo, France urgently needs to upgrade its firepower
Mbappe is set to go head-to-head with his idol Cristiano Ronaldo in the quarter-finals after a narrow win over Belgium, and given the slight weakness of the French team's attacking power at the moment, Mbappe will need to play a bigger role as the burden on his shoulders grows.
Judging from the strength of the team's squad, Deschamps actually has more room for change. For example, he could have used the in-form Olivier Giroud as a fulcrum to create opportunities for Mbappe to open gaps; Or send in speedy wingers such as Dembele and Koeman to disrupt Belgium's defensive layout with impact. However, until Muani's crucial goal, Deschamps did not seem to be actively trying to change the tempo of the attack, and the French team was more passive in waiting for the opponent to make mistakes in a rigid formation.
It has to be said that Deschamps' gambling in this campaign has paid off. Muani, the player who missed a great chance in the World Cup final, finally proved his worth in an unexpected way at crucial moments, with a shot that mistakenly slapped past Castles and activated the long-suppressed French fans. Facing Portugal next, whether France and Muani can continue this good fortune is undoubtedly the focus of everyone's attention.