France are still standing – and still a serious contender to win Euro 2024. Once again, they were nowhere near their best in Monday’s 1-0 over an abysmal Belgium side in Dusseldorf – but Les Bleus made the most of a huge slice of luck and a defensive masterclass from William Saliba to deservedly progress to the quarter-finals.
For all of the – often-justified – criticism of Didier Deschamps and his innate pragmatism, France showed the far greater ambition throughout this dour contest, with Kylian Mbappe a constant threat with his wonderful dribbling skills.
Unfortunately for them, their best chances they fashioned fell to the terribly wasteful Marcus Thuram, who will surely be dropped after this latest shocker. Indeed, it would be a huge surprise if his replacement, Randal Kolo Muani, does not start in the last eight, where France will meet either Portugal or Slovenia, as it was the Paris Saint-Germain forward’s shot that Jan Vertonghen deflected into his own net with just five minutes of normal time remaining.
Below, Footballblogzz rates all of the France players on show as the pre-tournament favourites finally found a way to break down Belgium…
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Goalkeeper & Defence
Mike Maignan (7/10):
Nearly made a mess of a first-half free-kick, hacking the ball clear unconvincingly with his feet, but did what was asked of him, making two decent second-half stops, from Lukaku and De Bruyne.
Jules Kounde (8/10):
For the first time in the tournament, proved a great attacking outlet down the right-hand side, creating more chances than any other player on the pitch. Put in several great crosses, the pick of which should have been buried by Thuram.
Dayot Upamecano (6/10):
Kept his place in the starting line-up despite giving away a penalty against Poland and did well, particularly in possession, but he was rolled far too easily by Openda at one point.
William Saliba (8/10):
Nearly cost his side a goal with one uncharacteristically sloppy pass but, overall, this was another impressively assured display. The Arsenal man dominated Lukaku and even went close to scoring midway through the second half.
Theo Hernandez (7.5/10):
Not quite as menacing going forward as usual but excellent defensively, making two brilliant blocks on Carrasco, the second of which he celebrated like a goal – and rightly so.
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Midfield
N’Golo Kante (6/10):
France’s player of the group stage was much quieter here but his passing was typically precise while he also worked his socks off.
Aurelien Tchouameni (7/10):
A much livelier showing from the Real Madrid man, who was positive in his passing and always willing to get forward and have a crack at goal.
Adrien Rabiot (6/10):
Definitely an improvement on his previous performances, with Rabiot creating some decent openings for others. Booking will rule him out of the quarter-final, though.
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Attack
Marcus Thuram (3/10):
Just not good enough to lead the line for France. Had his chances but didn’t take any of them. Unsurprisingly taken off just after the hour mark.
Kylian Mbappe (7/10):
Showed what he’s all about with a couple of scintillating runs either side of the interval, but his shooting was once again erratic. We’ll be kind and put that down to the mask that he says is “absolutely horrible” to wear.
Antoine Griezmann (4/10):
Recalled to the starting line-up at the expense of Dembele but once again gave the ball away a lot without creating very much. Griezmann’s form is a problem that Deschamps needs to solve, given his importance to the team.
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Subs & Manager
Randal Kolo Muani (7/10):
Took over up top from Thuram and won the game for France with his late deflected effort. Lucky, yes, but just reward for showing a bit of class in the area with a neat turn.
Didier Deschamps (6.5/10):
Hardly a thrilling performance from France but an undoubted improvement, which resulted in a deserved win. The coach also warrants credit for hauling off the painfully profligate Thuram and sending Kolo Muani on in his stead, but he’s really got to get this forward line firing if France are to go all the way in Germany. Two own goals and one penalty from four games is unacceptable for a side stacked with so many creative attacking talents.
