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Belgium 2-3 France

Goals: Carrasco (37^e) and Lukaku (41^e) for Devils // Benzema (62^e), Mbappé (69^e, SP) and T. Hernández (90^e) for the Blues

It was to be a night to gauge the state of two broken nations in full swing over the summer, but also an evening to detonate the firecrackers in the middle of what is shaping up to be the only real electricity week for the Blues on the road to Qatar. Didier Deschamps dreamed of a “Enchanted parenthesis” , the French coach will have finally seen his men scuttled first, then take advantage of the retreat of a Belgium which had its destiny between its fingers before confirming its status as a cursed generation. Led 2-0, the France team thus returned its neighbor like a pancake in Turin (2-3) thanks to a missile sent by Theo Hernández in the small net of Courtois at the end of a meeting which could not be content with the ordinary.

Belgian lesson

It took only 186 seconds to see the Red Devils, draped in a tactical suit that they have worn with authority since the dawn of time, give the first blows to the Blues in search of landmarks in a system that does not can become magical only with a bunch of repetitions. Trailer for the first half that was to follow, Romelu Lukaku then ate Raphaël Varane for the first time along the line before crossing the line and seeing Jules Koundé crash in front of a De Bruyne who did not ask for so much. Respite for the France team, Hugo Lloris released at the time a miracle reflex stop (3^e). The following ? A breath, first, Didier Deschamps seeing Kylian Mbappé attempt his first slaloms and Benjamin Pavard framing a first attempt after a cross from the PSG striker (8^e), but also his men offer a new defensive block too stretched on several occasions, which often left Youri Tielemans to feast on the quid between the lines. A problem often synonymous with great danger in the face of Belgium. The proof: in front of the Leicester midfielder, De Bruyne, Hazard and Lukaku had the leisure to connect as they wished, Lukaku transformed Varane into an armchair, and the Devils are definitely out of their box. The last quarter of an hour of the first act was then an ordeal for the Blues (80% possession for Belgium over the period) and we saw Carrasco open the scoring on the first one-on-one streak that he had to negotiate with Pavard (37^e, 1-0), then Romelu Lukaku pierce Lloris closed side after having mystified Lucas Hernández (41^e, 2-0). Just before the break, the tricolor keeper prevented Hazard from permanently killing the meeting, with a hope: that the lemons rekindle the internal tricolor fire.

To an air of 2018

Then ? So Belgium decided to put away the lighters and bring out its mask seen against Portugal during the Euro. Big mistake against a France team capable of making a cake with crumbs. Result, if Lukaku had a micro-opportunity of 3-0 in front of Lloris (51^e), the Blues resurfaced, Griezmann initially cutting badly a center of Mbappé (58^e) before Karim Benzema comes to build the score reduction with one of his favorite numbers (2-1, 62^e). Better: five minutes later, after a poorly controlled tackle from Youri Tielemans, Kylian Mbappé found himself at the penalty spot and has for good put the tricolor troop back in its semi-final (2-2, 69^e). Football sometimes has its reasons that reason ignores, but a fact is there: despite a new miracle of Lloris in front of De Bruyne (73^e), the second half of the France team was much more consistent, with in particular several more coherent pressing phases and a new big entry into the game from Tchouaméni, very close to a decisive cannon shot (77^e). The icing on the cake, it is on an air of 2018 that this Belgium-France will have switched: a center of Pavard, at the far post, for Theo Hernández (2-3, 90^e). The Blues can get on the bus to Milan. Next station: Spain. Belgium (3-4-2-1): Courtois – Alderweireld, Denayer, Vertonghen – Castagne (Bastshuayi, 90^e), Tielemans (Vanaken, 70^e), Witsel, Carrasco – De Bruyne, Hazard (Trosard, 74^e) – Lukaku. Breeder: Roberto Martínez.

France (3-4-1-2): Lloris – Koundé, Varane, L. Hernández – Pavard (Dubois, 90^e), Pogba, Rabiot (Tchouaméni, 75^e), T. Hernández – Griezmann – Benzema (Veretout, 90^e), Mbappé. Breeder: Didier Deschamps.

By Maxime Brigand, at the Allianz Stadium