France defeated Belgium 1-0 thanks to a late own goal by Jan Vertonghen, allowing Kylian Mbappe’s team to advance to the quarter-finals of Euro 2024.

In a tense and scrappy match, France secured their spot in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals with a narrow 1-0 victory over Belgium. The decisive goal came in the 85th minute when Belgian defender Jan Vertonghen inadvertently deflected the ball into his own net while attempting to block a shot by French substitute Randal Kolo Muani.

Despite their victory, France have yet to score a goal from open play in the tournament. However, their dominance in the match was evident as they had 19 attempts at goal compared to Belgium’s five. They will now face either Portugal or Slovenia in the quarter-finals, which will take place in Hamburg on Friday.

The match was filled with notable moments. In the 50th minute, Belgian goalkeeper Casteels made a brilliant diving save to deny a deflected shot by Tchouaméni. France had a scare in the 62nd minute when a defensive error by Saliba almost allowed De Bruyne to create a scoring opportunity for Belgium, but Hernandez’s last-ditch tackle saved the day for France.

Saliba himself had a chance to be the hero for France in the 73rd minute, but his finish went wide of the target. De Bruyne, who had been relatively quiet throughout the match, came to life in the 83rd minute with a powerful shot on goal, but it was saved by French goalkeeper Maignan.

The decisive moment came in the 85th minute when Kolo Muani’s shot deflected off Vertonghen, wrong-footing Casteels and giving France the lead. It was a relief for the French team, who celebrated the goal as if it were a match-winner.

In terms of statistics, the key stat of the match was the stark difference in shot attempts between the two teams. France had 19 attempts at goal, while Belgium only managed five.

Overall, it was a hard-fought victory for France, who will now eagerly await the outcome of the match between Portugal and Slovenia later tonight.