![France edge tense clash with Belgium to reach Euro 2024 quarter-finals](https://www.portugalcolonial.pt/media/shared/articles/50/df/03/France-edge-tense-clash-with-Belgiu-437738.jpg)
-
Messi a doubt for Argentina ahead of Copa quarter-final
-
British tennis ace Raducanu votes for 'lie-in' on election day
-
France film director Jacquot charged with raping two actors
-
Israel 'evaluating' new Hamas 'ideas' on halting Gaza war
-
Venezuela, US agree to 'improve relations,' says Caracas
-
Under-fire Kenya govt says to review state salary hikes
-
Thousands told to flee raging California wildfire
-
Osaka focuses on Olympics after Wimbledon KO
-
Tens of thousands flee south Gaza as tensions soar
-
US Fed officials stressed 'patience' on rate cuts: minutes
-
Blond not bombs as Fognini learns to love Wimbledon
-
New lithium plant inaugurated in Argentina
-
Threads hits 175 mn users on first anniversary
-
French court says Netflix shark hit can keep streaming in copycat row
-
Comeback king 'Cav' to carry on doing the thing he loves
-
Alcaraz marches on at Wimbledon as Osaka returns to Centre Court
-
Biden under pressure as Democratic panic rises
-
Belarus frees 'some political prisoners': exiled opposition leader
-
Alcaraz coasts into Wimbledon third round
-
Cavendish makes Tour de France history with 35th stage win
-
Everton sign forward Ndiaye from Marseille
-
Bailed Indian opposition leader to return as chief minister
-
World's oldest artwork discovered in Indonesian cave
-
Toney urges England to kick on after Euros reprieve
-
Murray teams up with Raducanu in Wimbledon mixed doubles
-
Former England rugby coach Jack Rowell dies aged 87
-
Hurricane Beryl bears down on Jamaica
-
US trade deficit expands less than expected in May: govt
-
'The god took away my son': Indians grieve after deadly stampede
-
Moscow hit by heat not seen in over a century
-
US private hiring eases unexpectedly in June: ADP
-
Confident Kroos says Germany-Spain clash 'won't be my last game'
-
Paris bars to open 24h for Olympics opening ceremony
-
Putin, Xi vie for influence at Central Asian summit
-
Germany, Sweden arrest eight over Syria crimes against humanity
-
French giant Mpetshi Perricard joins Wimbledon heavy artillery
-
Two-time Major winner Langer to make 'emotional' European Tour bow
-
French PM urges united front to stop far-right takeover
-
Olympic silver medallist gymnast Poujade dies at 51
-
Bhole Baba: preacher at centre of Indian stampede disaster
-
Microsoft to invest 2.2 bn euros in Spain data centres
-
Showdowns, young guns and own goals as Euro 2024 head into quarter-finals
-
Russia advances in east, kills five in Dnipro strikes
-
France prosecutors request rape charges against film director
-
Schumacher blackmail suspects had 'family photos'
-
EU clears Lufthansa's proposed ITA Airways stake, with conditions
-
Indian World Cup winners head home after hurricane delay
-
120,000 'stolen' babies: Georgia's trafficking scandal
-
Only far right can win absolute majority, French PM warns
-
Turkey ride 'best save' and wave of emotion into Euros quarters
![France edge tense clash with Belgium to reach Euro 2024 quarter-finals](https://www.portugalcolonial.pt/media/shared/articles/50/df/03/France-edge-tense-clash-with-Belgiu-437738.jpg)
France edge tense clash with Belgium to reach Euro 2024 quarter-finals
Jan Vertonghen's late own goal took France into the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 on Monday as they edged Belgium 1-0 in a tense tie in Duesseldorf.
France had dominated the last-16 clash but their profligate finishing looked set to force extra time until they finally found a way through with five minutes left.
Substitute Randal Kolo Muani collected the ball inside the Belgian penalty area and hit a shot that was going wide until a deflection off the unfortunate Vertonghen took it past goalkeeper Koen Casteels.
The lucky break sent the 2022 World Cup runners-up into a last-eight tie in Hamburg on Friday as they remain on course to become European champions for the third time.
France are yet to score from open play in four matches at the tournament -- captain Kylian Mbappe netted once from a penalty against Poland, while their other two goals came from opposition defenders.
Crucially, however, they are rock solid in defence, having conceded only one goal, from a penalty, so far.
Their back line was outstanding against Romelu Lukaku and his fellow attackers, and Belgium bow out after what will go down as a disappointing tournament for them.
Both of these sides were looking for revenge, in Belgium's case for their 1-0 defeat against France in the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup, a result that still hurts six years on.
France, meanwhile, had a point to prove at the Euros after going out in the last 16 three years ago on penalties to Switzerland, a deeply disappointing result in between runs to consecutive World Cup finals.
The French were widely seen as the favourites to win this tournament before arriving in Germany, but they were below par during the group phase.
The broken nose suffered by Mbappe in their opening game against Austria did not help, and the uncertain form of Antoine Griezmann has been a problem too.
Griezmann was dropped for the last group match against Poland but returned here in one of two changes, with Marcus Thuram also coming in as wingers Ousmane Dembele and Bradley Barcola made way.
- Forwards struggle to impress -
Meanwhile Belgium coach Domenico Tedesco's reaction to his own side's unconvincing displays in the group stage was striking.
Yannick Carrasco and Lois Openda were given starts to provide as much attacking threat as possible in support of Lukaku, while skipper Kevin De Bruyne played a more withdrawn role.
The hope, for the neutrals at least, was that so much attacking talent would lead to an open game full of goals, but the reality was rather different.
Belgium were happy to sit back and thwart France, and did not test opposition goalkeeper Mike Maignan at all in the first half.
France had lots of the ball, yet often looked untidy, imprecise and rather flat, with Griezmann appearing lost on the right wing.
But they had chances in the first half, with Thuram heading just wide from Jules Kounde's inviting cross just after the half-hour mark and Aurelien Tchouameni twice firing off-target.
Real Madrid midfielder Tchouameni then tested Casteels with a deflected long-range strike as France upped their game at the beginning of the second half.
Mbappe accelerated inside and smashed a shot just over, and there was a sense a goal might be coming.
The breakthrough almost came for Belgium an hour in as William Saliba lost possession on halfway and De Bruyne released Carrasco, who was about to pull the trigger when Theo Hernandez arrived to make a brilliant saving block.
Maignan finally had to make a save 20 minutes from the end of normal time, to keep out a drive from Lukaku, and was called into action again to deny De Bruyne.
It was becoming clear that one goal would decide the contest, and France got it in the 85th minute as N'Golo Kante fed Kolo Muani, and his shot went in off Vertonghen to take Les Bleus through.
J.V.Jacinto--PC