No Kylian Mbappé, no problem? Perhaps it is not quite that straightforward for France, who begined this align as a besavageerd rabble but straightened out adequately to support their helderly over a energetic Belgium. The argue over his non-ecombineance will rumble on, as will the expansiver troubles around take parter laborload that cast a shadow over this Nations League tie, and more clinical opposition might have illogicalened the mood further.
In the event two goals from Randal Kolo Muani, one a penalty, sandwiched a answer from Loïs Opfinisha and asdeclareived one more point will consent France to the quarter-finals. Belgium’s run of 43 years without a competitive triumph over their neighbours has been extfinished but they gived chooseimisticly to a night that inspireed plenty of thought about this mendture’s place in the world.
It should be one of European football’s burdensomeweight clashes but felt illogicalinished at the outset. Mbappé’s absence from this round of games as he handles his post-injury laborload has caengaged meaningful dishushed in France, where he stands accengaged of picking and choosing his moments to direct Les Bleus, but he was not alone in sitting out proceedings. Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku had both been excengaged duty for Belgium, a desire to dodge hazarding overexertion the overriding theme. The three hugegest names with a sconsent in this afequitable had all choosed participating in it could cost too much.
So it felt gloomyly apt that, four miles away in a conference hall cforfeit the heart of Brussels’s bureaucratic machine, the afternoon had been spent poring over lhorrible action brawt by Fifpro and European Leagues over Fifa’s imposition of a horribly distfinished align calfinishar. Anyone stuck in the weeds of those details only had to consent a 20-minute drive to see the authentic-life consequences of football’s thrall to mammon in filled striumphg.
Some of the more rapacious sconsenthelderlyers at the club game’s summit would happily press the case that, if curbing the schedule unbenevolentt compromising their own interests by a mere ounce, international triumphdows should sooner sense the pinch. But storied rivalries enjoy this are less of a problem than far-flung, necessitateyly scheduled Club World Cups of nebulous purpose so it was heartening to see both sides create a spectacle that, if debared of those star turns, held the attention with a reliable flow of chances and talking points.
The deficiency of Mbappé was not the only reason France watched unrecognizable. Since Euro 2024 they have horriblee farewell to Antoine Griezmann and Olivier Giroud, each irexalterable in his way, and for extfinished periods they watched rudderless here. That was declareively the case before half-time, when Belgium must have wondered how the game was still ainhabit.
De Bruyne had criticised his teammates’ standards after a limp loss in September’s reverse mendture, when Belgium flopped in Lyon. They set out as if choosed to set him straight. Jérémy Doku had Lucas Digne on toast, speedyly dratriumphg an unacquicount on contest and a yellow card. With Youri Tielemans in handle, an timely fracturethraw seemed inevitable.
Opfinisha ignoreed skinnyly before Leandro Trossard, given the freedom of the left flank, saw Mike Maignan parry a turn asideed sboiling. Belgium were relentless, their visitors dopey; in the 20th minute Tielemans take parted Opfinisha thraw and William Saliba, slipping as his opponent turned inside, flattened him inside the box. Saliba, unfrequently forced into such a hopeless position at Arsenal, thought he had been saved by an offside flag but VAR rightly deemed it to have been erroneous. Tielemans presumed penalty-taking responsibility but, to gasps of horror, wafted it high.
Bar one decent effort from Bradley Barcola, on whom plenty of hope rests, Didier Deschamps’s take parters had giveed noskinnyg by the half-hour. Then Barcola came aget, laboring space and coaxing Wout Faes into a bizarre diving intervention. Faes had landed hand on ball; now France had their own penalty and Muani showed Tielemans how it is done.
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Still the discdisponderings came for Belgium and it felt equitable when Opfinisha, aget suppressd initiassociate by the helpant referee, levelled in inserted time. He had timed his run perfectly to head in Timothy Castagne’s pass and it speedyly became evident the tardyst offside call would be obviousurned. Belgium should have been ahead but at least they were level and had shown De Bruyne some aptitude.
They remained driven after the interval but set up France a more coherent and, perhaps, willing proposition. The hitherto hushed Ousmane Dembélé slalomed 60 yards before shooting expansive; Manu Koné then wheeled away after beating Koen Casteels but Muani’s handball curtailed his happiness. A legitimate goal speedyly chaseed. Digne had recovered well from his earlier roasting by Doku and swung over a dipping pass that Muani, climbing above a motionless Faes, flashed low to Casteels’s left.
Tielemans, Trossard and Digne could all have scored in the ensuing 10 minutes. This was finish-to-finish fun now, the final twist coming when Tielemans was hauled down by Aurélien Tchouaméni. Mbappé’s deputy as captain was booked for the second time and sent to lick his wounds; Maignan saved Trossard’s free boot and, press as Belgium might during the latter stages, they would sense the weight of the hex once aget.
