in the round of 16, France will face Belgium – Libération

Euro Football 2024 fileHung by Ukraine, this Wednesday June 26 in Stuttgart, the Red Devils finished second in their group and qualified for the rest of the competition. They will face the Blues on Monday July 1 in Düsseldorf.

It will be Belgium. Hooked by Poland (1-1), this Tuesday, June 25, and second in their group, the Blues knew that they would inherit in the round of 16 of Euro 2024 the second of group E. A place won by the Devils Belgian reds, who nevertheless conceded a poor draw (0-0) against Ukraine, this Wednesday evening in Stuttgart, at the end of a boring meeting that they never knew how to liven up. At the same time in Frankfurt, in the other meeting of the group, Romanians and Slovaks separated in another draw (1-1). Consequence: extremely tight, the pool gave birth to a staggering outcome, unprecedented in the history of the competition, with four teams tied, each with 4 points, a victory, a defeat and a draw. If Belgium is qualified, it is because it has a better overall goal difference than Slovakia (third, who will also be present in the round of 16 via the repechage system for the best third-placed groups) and Ukraine, eliminated . If they finished behind Romania, it is because they scored more goals throughout the group stage.

Coached by Italian-German coach Domenico Tedesco, the Belgians began their tournament with a surprise defeat against Slovakia (1-0) on June 17 in Frankfurt. Then they raised their heads and won against Romania (2-0) on June 22 in Cologne. But their new poor performance this Wednesday will not reassure anyone: already eliminated from the 2022 World Cup in the first round, the teammates of Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne are losing momentum on the international scene. They will face France in Düsseldorf on Monday July 1 at 6 p.m. A clash between ambitious but disappointing neighbors, who will have to show something other than during the group stage to hope to be crowned European champions in Berlin on July 14.