Predictions & Livescore European Championship - France vs Belgium

European Championship - France vs Belgium
Match Time: 01-07-2024 23:59 Monday (GMT+8)
Football Livescore | Match Prediction & Tips
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With his protective mask in tow, Real Madrid-bound Kylian Mbappe finally broke his Euros duck at the third time of trying in France's recent showdown with Poland in Group D, crashing home a spot kick early in the second half before the Poles were presented with a 12-yard opportunity of their own.

While Mike Maignan initially denied the stopping-and-starting Robert Lewandowski, the AC Milan shot-stopper was penalised for coming off his line, allowing his Barcelona counterpart to take the same run-up, aim for the same corner and achieve a different, desired outcome in a low-key 1-1 stalemate.

A miffed Maignan was left to vent his frustrations on social media - taking aim at the rules regarding penalties as Lewandowski made his "87th stutter" - as Didier Deschamps's men were forced to accept the runners-up place thanks to Austria's sensational beating of the Netherlands.

As Ralf Rangnick's side prepare to take on Turkey in the friendlier side of the draw, an under-performing France have several gargantuan obstacles in their way just to reach the final; Portugal, Germany and Spain are all in the same last-16 bracket.

Nevertheless, one goal conceded across the group stage was the joint second-best defensive record of its kind - only behind an unbroken Spain - and Lewandowski's retaken spot kick is the only effort that Deschamps's men have shipped in their last five games across all tournaments.

Such praiseworthy defensive statistics make for grim reading for a Belgium side who failed to score in two of their three affairs in Group E, where all four sides incredibly finished on the same amount of points, unsurprisingly a European Championship first in the men's game.

Domenico Tedesco's men appeared to have rediscovered their attacking touch in a 2-0 beating of Romania on matchday two, only to be stunted in a goalless draw versus Ukraine on Wednesday, where they had both Koen Casteels and their visitors' wastefulness to thank for saving their Euros bacon.

As the eliminated Blue and Yellow departed in dejection, Belgium sneaked through in second spot behind Romania and their superior goal difference, but Tedesco has many an attacking conundrum to solve after his side managed just two goals across the group stage; only one-strike Serbia netted fewer.

While Mbappe may finally be off the mark, the luckless Romelu Lukaku has yet to open his Euro 2024 account but can take solace from the fact that only one of the Red Devils' last 18 matches in all tournaments has ended in defeat, even if that did come just a fortnight ago to the plucky Slovakians.

Frequent foes of France over the past century, Belgium suffered 2018 World Cup semi-final heartbreak in a 1-0 loss before also going down 3-2 to Deschamps's men in a 2021 Nations League semi-final, but Portugal or Slovenia will await the Red Devils if they can avenge those Bleus blues.

Prediction: France 1-0 Belgium