Belgium vs France: What Happened in the Match?

Belgium and France went into halftime with the score still 0-0 at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, with the Red Devils probably the happier side after a difficult opening 45 minutes.

Belgium created a few promising moments early in the game, but France came closest to breaking the deadlock. The visitors had their first dangerous opportunity in the fourth minute when Bradley Barcola reached the byline and cut the ball back to substitute striker Esteban Lepaul, who failed to get a clean shot away after hitting his supporting leg.

Belgium responded quickly and nearly created an opening of their own after goalkeeper Mike Maignan gave the ball away while playing out from the back. The resulting corner caused some problems in the French penalty area, while Youri Tielemans also went down near the edge of the box, but the referee decided there was no foul.

France then produced the biggest chance of the opening stages. Désiré Doué went on a brilliant individual run, beating several Belgian defenders before smashing a powerful shot against the crossbar in the 11th minute. Belgium were fortunate not to fall behind.

Kevin De Bruyne provided an immediate response, combining with Roméo Lavia, Charles De Ketelaere and Julien Duranville before getting into a shooting position, but his effort was blocked.

Belgium then came extremely close to taking the lead in the 18th minute. Nathan Ngoy delivered a superb long ball, Diego Moreira made an excellent touch to continue the attack, and De Bruyne sent the ball back across the goal from near the byline. Maignan was beaten, but De Ketelaere could not quite reach the ball properly to turn it into an open net.

France continued to threaten, and Belgium had another nervous moment in the 20th minute when Barcola broke forward after getting past Timothy Castagne. Nathan Ngoy chased him into the penalty area and brought the French winger down, but the referee did not award a penalty.

A few minutes later, De Bruyne nearly produced one of the most unusual goals of the night. Seeing Maignan far outside his goal, the Belgian captain tried an ambitious shot from beyond the halfway line. The ball narrowly missed the goal, while Maignan appeared to misjudge the effort before the ball hit him after he had already crossed the goal line.

France came close again in the 27th minute. Senne Lammens could not completely clear a free kick from Maghnes Akliouche, and France attacked the rebound. Belgium survived the danger thanks to Roméo Lavia, who made an important clearance off the goal line.

Lavia was one of Belgium’s standout players during the first half, making a strong impression in his first international start.

Nathan Ngoy then produced another dangerous moment for Belgium in the 31st minute, sending a powerful left-footed cross into the box after staying forward following a set piece. However, no Belgian player was there to finish the chance.

The game was briefly interrupted in the 33rd minute after De Bruyne was hit in the face by the ball while challenging for it with French defender Maxence Lacroix. Under the current rules, De Bruyne had to leave the field for a minute after receiving treatment, something that clearly did not please the Belgian captain.

Belgium continued to look for openings, and De Bruyne was involved again in the 38th minute. De Ketelaere laid the ball back after being pulled by his shirt, finding De Bruyne between the lines, but his shot went wide.

Diego Moreira became the first player to receive a yellow card in the 42nd minute after committing a foul on Kalulu.

France had the final major opportunity of the half when Doué turned provider and delivered a dangerous ball toward Lepaul. The Rennes striker got a touch on it, but his effort went straight into Lammens’ arms.

After one minute of added time, the referee brought an entertaining and tense first half to an end with the score still 0-0.

The second half started with Belgium looking for a way to create more pressure, and the Red Devils produced the first promising attack after the break. Roméo Lavia was again involved in building the move, but Charles De Ketelaere could not find enough space to create a clear chance, while Mike Maignan collected Timothy Castagne’s dangerous cross.

France quickly took control of the game, however, and Désiré Doué continued to cause problems for the Belgian defense. In the 52nd minute, the PSG winger cut inside and curled a shot just wide of Senne Lammens’ goal, leaving Belgium relieved once again.

France came even closer two minutes later when Lucas Da Cunha tried his luck from distance with a low left-footed shot that beat Lammens but crashed against the post. The visitors were now putting Belgium under serious pressure.

Doué created another major opportunity in the 56th minute, cutting inside once again before forcing Lammens to make an important low save. Esteban Lepaul followed up on the rebound, but the Belgian defense did enough to prevent him from finishing.

Kevin De Bruyne received a yellow card in the 57th minute after a strong challenge on Kalulu.

Belgium made changes in the 63rd minute, with Dodi Lukebakio replacing Diego Moreira and Hans Vanaken coming on for De Bruyne. Moreira had just produced Belgium’s first real attacking threat of the second half, but his long-range effort went well wide.

France also strengthened its attack, bringing on Ousmane Dembélé for Lepaul in the 68th minute, adding another major threat to the Belgian defense.

Belgium made another substitution shortly afterward, with Maxim De Cuyper replacing Joaquin Seys.

Then came Belgium’s best opportunity of the second half, and perhaps the biggest chance of the entire match. De Ketelaere found Lukebakio running into space, sending him through on goal. Lukebakio found himself one-on-one with Maignan from an angle, but the Belgian winger’s right-footed shot was stopped by the French goalkeeper.

It was a huge opportunity for Belgium to take a 1-0 lead, but they could not take advantage.

France continued to make attacking changes, with Rayan Cherki and Michael Olise entering the game in the 77th minute. Belgium had to deal with even more attacking quality as the match entered its final stages.

Lukebakio had another opportunity in the 78th minute after Tielemans played an excellent cross-field pass to him. He controlled the ball well and moved onto his left foot, but his shot lacked power and was comfortably collected by Maignan.

Belgium then suffered a worrying moment in the 82nd minute when Lavia appeared to feel pain in his calf. The midfielder had been one of Belgium’s strongest players throughout the match, and Nicolas Raskin prepared to replace him.

The substitution came three minutes later, with Raskin taking Lavia’s place. De Ketelaere was also replaced by Matías Fernández-Pardo, while Belgium’s final attacking option, Romelu Lukaku, never came onto the field.

Just when Belgium appeared to be heading toward a 0-0 draw, France finally found the breakthrough.

In the 88th minute, Michael Olise produced a brilliant individual moment, carrying the ball forward on a long run before calmly curling a precise shot beyond Lammens and into the net.

The goal gave France a 1-0 lead and left Belgium with very little time to respond.

The Red Devils pushed forward during the final minutes, but France held on and managed the game until the final whistle.

After four minutes of added time, the referee ended the match with France winning 1-0.

For Belgium, the result was particularly frustrating after the team had chances of its own, including Lukebakio’s one-on-one opportunity, while France had repeatedly threatened through Doué and eventually found the winning goal through Olise.

The match ended with France taking the victory in Brussels, while Belgium were left to regret the chances they failed to convert.