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.

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to provide as much attacking threat as possible in support of Lukaku, while skipper Kevin De Bruyne played a more withdrawn role.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.

France vs Belgium, UEFA Euro 2024 Round of 16 LIVE Updates© AFP

France vs Belgium Live Streaming Euro 2024 Round Of 16 Live Telecast© AFP

With exciting football and vibrant fans lighting up cities across Germany, Euro 2024 has thrilled even though the European game’s biggest stars have failed to take the tournament by storm. Between injury struggles, shaky form and bad luck, many of football’s leading lights have underwhelmed in the group phase. Portugal striker Cristiano Ronaldo, playing at a record sixth Euros, is yet to strike in three appearances — if he manages to, the 39-year-old will become the oldest ever goalscorer at the tournament.

Arguably the best player in the world, Kylian Mbappe is only off the mark for France with a penalty against Poland in a disappointing 1-1 draw that resulted in the favourites finishing second in Group D.

Mbappe spurned a golden opportunity against Austria, missing a draw against the Netherlands with a broken nose before returning with a mask in Les Bleus’ third outing.

“He’s hungry to play and the game would have done him some good,” said France coach Didier Deschamps, hopeful the forward will quickly find his devastating best with a last 16 clash against Belgium beckoning.

Poland’s talisman Robert Lewandowski could not feature in their opening defeat against the Netherlands because of a thigh problem.

The Barcelona striker and his country were eliminated as he was ineffective when he came off the bench against Austria, before he netted a penalty in the France draw.

England duo Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane scored from open play against Serbia and Denmark respectively but have vastly under-performed after thriving at Real Madrid and Bayern Munich this season.

England coach Gareth Southgate hooked Kane in a drab 1-1 draw against Denmark, but the subsequent 0-0 against Slovenia was even more dour.

“Not every player is going to star in every game,” said Southgate afterwards.

France’s Antoine Griezmann and England’s Phil Foden have also fired blanks after strong seasons for Atletico Madrid and Manchester City.

“Sometimes (Griezmann’s) generosity means he doesn’t have as clear a head as he should have,” said Deschamps, who benched the midfielder in the final group match.

Belgium’s all-time top scorer Romelu Lukaku is also without a goal, albeit not for want of trying, having had three disallowed by VAR as his team slunk through in second from Group E.

Veteran Luka Modric, 38, usually a key figure in Croatia’s frequently impressive exploits, did score against Italy but only after missing a penalty and struggling in the first two matches, with his country eventually eliminated.

Own goals galore

Remarkably there have been seven own goals, making up 26 percent of the 27 inadvertently netted in the competition’s history.

Even the players who have shone thus far have largely been surprises for one reason or another.

N’Golo Kante is proving key for France despite moving a year ago to play in Saudi Arabia, while talented youngster Jamal Musiala has been hosts Germany’s leading light ahead of veteran stars Toni Kroos, Ilkay Gundogan and Kai Havertz.

Target man Niclas Fullkrug has scored twice for Germany like Musiala, while Slovakia’s Ivan Schranz and Romania’s Razvan Marin also have a pair of goals to their name.

Netherlands forward Cody Gakpo finished neatly for his second goal in a 3-2 defeat by Austria, in a performance their coach Ronald Koeman labelled “appalling”.

The tournament’s current top scorer is debutants Georgia’s Georges Mikautadze with three goals, two of those from the penalty spot.

Spain qualified top of Group B with a game to spare and have arguably been the team of the tournament so far, but two of their key players have been unlikely candidates in Fabian Ruiz and Marc Cucurella.

With 15 matches still to play before one of the 16 remaining sides is crowned champions in Berlin on July 14, fans are still waiting for the tournament’s star names to join the party.

With exciting football and vibrant fans lighting up cities across Germany, Euro 2024 has thrilled even though the European game’s biggest stars have failed to take the tournament by storm. Between injury struggles, shaky form and bad luck, many of football’s leading lights have underwhelmed in the group phase. Portugal striker Cristiano Ronaldo, playing at a record sixth Euros, is yet to strike in three appearances — if he manages to, the 39-year-old will become the oldest ever goalscorer at the tournament.

Arguably the best player in the world, Kylian Mbappe is only off the mark for France with a penalty against Poland in a disappointing 1-1 draw that resulted in the favourites finishing second in Group D.

Mbappe spurned a golden opportunity against Austria, missing a draw against the Netherlands with a broken nose before returning with a mask in Les Bleus’ third outing.

“He’s hungry to play and the game would have done him some good,” said France coach Didier Deschamps, hopeful the forward will quickly find his devastating best with a last 16 clash against Belgium beckoning.

Poland’s talisman Robert Lewandowski could not feature in their opening defeat against the Netherlands because of a thigh problem.

The Barcelona striker and his country were eliminated as he was ineffective when he came off the bench against Austria, before he netted a penalty in the France draw.

England duo Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane scored from open play against Serbia and Denmark respectively but have vastly under-performed after thriving at Real Madrid and Bayern Munich this season.

England coach Gareth Southgate hooked Kane in a drab 1-1 draw against Denmark, but the subsequent 0-0 against Slovenia was even more dour.

“Not every player is going to star in every game,” said Southgate afterwards.

France’s Antoine Griezmann and England’s Phil Foden have also fired blanks after strong seasons for Atletico Madrid and Manchester City.

“Sometimes (Griezmann’s) generosity means he doesn’t have as clear a head as he should have,” said Deschamps, who benched the midfielder in the final group match.

Belgium’s all-time top scorer Romelu Lukaku is also without a goal, albeit not for want of trying, having had three disallowed by VAR as his team slunk through in second from Group E.

Veteran Luka Modric, 38, usually a key figure in Croatia’s frequently impressive exploits, did score against Italy but only after missing a penalty and struggling in the first two matches, with his country eventually eliminated.

Own goals galore

Remarkably there have been seven own goals, making up 26 percent of the 27 inadvertently netted in the competition’s history.

Even the players who have shone thus far have largely been surprises for one reason or another.

N’Golo Kante is proving key for France despite moving a year ago to play in Saudi Arabia, while talented youngster Jamal Musiala has been hosts Germany’s leading light ahead of veteran stars Toni Kroos, Ilkay Gundogan and Kai Havertz.

Target man Niclas Fullkrug has scored twice for Germany like Musiala, while Slovakia’s Ivan Schranz and Romania’s Razvan Marin also have a pair of goals to their name.

Netherlands forward Cody Gakpo finished neatly for his second goal in a 3-2 defeat by Austria, in a performance their coach Ronald Koeman labelled “appalling”.

The tournament’s current top scorer is debutants Georgia’s Georges Mikautadze with three goals, two of those from the penalty spot.

Spain qualified top of Group B with a game to spare and have arguably been the team of the tournament so far, but two of their key players have been unlikely candidates in Fabian Ruiz and Marc Cucurella.

With 15 matches still to play before one of the 16 remaining sides is crowned champions in Berlin on July 14, fans are still waiting for the tournament’s star names to join the party.

The Round of 16 for Euro 2024 is set, as Georgia pulled off a stunning 2-0 victory over Portugal to become the final side to qualify. Spain, England and hosts Germany have finished first in their group, as expected. However, highly-fancied France could only qualify second from Group D, with Austria taking a surprise top spot. Slovenia, Netherlands, Slovakia and Georgia qualified as the four best third-placed teams, while Hungary and Croatia bowed out. Let’s look at a preview for all eight Round of 16 games:

Switzerland v Italy

Italy head into Saturday’s clash with Switzerland in Berlin still a work in progress after scraping into second place seconds before the end of their final Group B game with Croatia.

The defending champions will be wary of the Swiss, who will likely have four Serie A players in their starting line-up and showed in their 1-1 draw with Germany that they are perfectly capable of giving the big boys a bloody nose.

Germany v Denmark

Revitalised under Julian Nagelsmann, Germany have been alongside Spain the best team of the group stage and will rightly be considered favourites against Denmark, who laboured to second place in the dismal Group C behind England.

Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand said that his team always “step up” when facing the big nations but Germany will also have the backing of Dortmund’s famous Westfalenstadion on Saturday as they seek a record-breaking fourth Euros title.

England v Slovakia

England have had a soft landing against Slovakia on Sunday after topping Group C despite putting in three hugely disappointing displays against middling opposition.

Coach Gareth Southgate was pelted with plastic cups by frustrated fans after Tuesday’s goalless draw with Slovenia and performances will have to pick up if his team are to live up to their billing as one of the pre-tournament favourites.

Spain v Georgia

Luis de la Fuente’s side have been the most impressive team of the tournament so far after breezing through the supposedly tough Group B with a perfect nine points and a statement win over the Italians.

With almost their entire first XI, including star wingers Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams, rested in Monday’s 1-0 win over Albania, anything other than straightforward passage into the quarters for Spain would be a massive shock in Cologne on Sunday.

However Georgia are this tournament’s fairytale and showed by beating Portugal on Wednesday they can spring an upset.

France v Belgium

Possibly the most intriguing tie of the round sees two big teams yet to hit form face off in Dusseldorf on Monday.

France were unimpressive in qualifying in second place from Group D. Kylian Mbappe is the only player in Didier Deschamps’ side to score a goal and that strike came from the penalty spot in a 1-1 draw with already-eliminated Poland.

Belgium meanwhile have played well in bursts but were barracked by fans in Stuttgart on Wednesday after a safety-first approach against Ukraine saw them edge into the last 16 from Group E.

Portugal v Slovenia

Portugal will be heavy favourites to get past Slovenia in Frankfurt on Monday and coach Roberto Martinez will have a mostly rested first XI to call upon after making a raft of changes for Wednesday’s defeat to Georgia which made no difference to the Group F winners.

Slovenia didn’t impress in Group C, finishing third and scoring twice in three matches, but Matjaz Kek‘s team are unbeaten in nine games and beat Portugal 2-0 in a pre-tournament friendly.

Romania v Netherlands

The Dutch were hugely disappointing in Group D, finishing third behind Austria and France, and should be wary on Tuesday of Romania who are in the last 16 for the first time in 24 years after topping a tight Group E.

However Ronald Koeman, who called his team “appalling” after losing 3-2 to Austria, has been rewarded for their underwhelming displays by being placed on the easier side of the knockout bracket where off-colour England and an unsure Italy are the only heavyweights.

Austria v Turkey

Ralf Rangnick’s Austria have been given the dangerous tag of tournament dark horse after topping Group D ahead of France and the Dutch, playing some exciting football in the process. Tuesday’s match with Turkey in Leipzig promises to be an entertaining affair with Vincenzo Montella’s talented side being backed by huge support at every match.

Belgium, Romania and Slovakia qualified for the last 16 of Euro 2024 on Wednesday as war-torn Ukraine were left heartbroken by a thrilling end to Group E. Romania’s 1-1 draw with Slovakia in Frankfurt secured the point both nations needed to progress, while Ukraine’s brave effort in a 0-0 draw with Belgium was not enough. All four sides ended the section on four points, but Ukraine paid for their 3-0 defeat to Romania in their opening game as they finished bottom of the group on goal difference.

Belgium could be made to pay for making a meal of a group they were expected to cruise as Domenico Tedesco’s men will face France in the last 16 after finishing second.

Slovakia advance as one of the best third-placed sides and will find out their last 16 opponents, along with Romania, after Wednesday’s final matches in Group F.

Belgium’s mix of veteran talent and rising stars are just one of a host of favoured sides yet to hit their stride in Germany. Their support reacted furiously at the final whistle in Stuttgart, with captain Kevin De Bruyne appearing to tell his team-mates not to go over to acknowledge them as the whistles and jeers grew louder.

Ukraine became the first side since the expansion of the Euros to 24 teams to fail to get out of the group stage with four points.

It was a tale of what might have been for Serhiy Rebrov’s men as Belgium goalkeeper Koen Casteels prevented a corner from crossing the line by centimetres before denying Georgiy Sudakov a memorable winner in stoppage time.

However, in stark contrast to Belgium’s rebuke, the Ukrainians were still handed a hero’s reception at the end by their band of supporters.

“A strong nation is one that remains united and supports each other at all times. Both in times of defeat and in times of victory,” wrote Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky on Telegram.

“Today we thank the Ukrainian national football team. Despite the disappointing result, you fought for our country… Glory to Ukraine!”

In Frankfurt, Romania ensured progress to the knockout stages of a Euros for the first time in 24 years after coming from behind to take a point.

Slovakia went in front on 24 minutes when Ondrej Duda powered home a header. The lead only lasted 13 minutes as Ianis Hagi, son of former Barcelona and Real Madrid star Gheorghe Hagi, won a penalty that was emphatically converted by Razvan Marin.

Ukraine vs Belgium Live Streaming Euro 2024 Live Telecast: When And Where To Watch© AFP

Youri Tielemans breathed new life into Belgium’s Euro 2024 campaign as the Aston Villa midfielder’s goal after just 73 seconds inspired a vital 2-0 win against Romania on Saturday. Domenico Tedesco’s side would have been on the brink of elimination if they had suffered a second successive Group E defeat. But Tielemans’ second-minute strike in Cologne eased fears of yet another major tournament flop from star-studded Belgium. Kevin De Bruyne wrapped up the points in the closing stages to leave all four teams in the group level on three points.

The stage is set for a dramatic final round of fixtures in the battle to reach the last 16.

Belgium face Ukraine and Romania play Slovakia on June 26.

With 45 rungs separating the two nations in FIFA’s rankings, third-placed Belgium’s 1-0 loss to Slovakia on Monday was the biggest upset in European Championship history.

Romania, ranked in 47th place, competed gamely as they chased their own shock, but this time Belgium’s superior class proved decisive.

“I have the same feeling as against Slovakia: we played well but the difference is that we scored and won today,” said Belgium captain De Bruyne.

“We made a few mistakes and gave away a few chances, but we can be satisfied with our performance, both offensively and defensively.”

Having bowed out at the group stage of the 2022 World Cup and lost in the quarter-finals of the last two Euros, Belgium’s golden generation have given themselves fresh hope of finally delivering on their vast potential.

Romania had powered to a 3-0 win against Ukraine on Monday — their first victory in a major tournament since beating England at Euro 2000.

Despite this loss, Edward Iordanescu’s team are still in contention to make the Euro knockout stage for the first time in 24 years.

“We never gave up, we fought very hard. In the second half, we were better. With a bit of luck we could have got a point,” said Romania coach Iordanescu.

Belgium had failed to score in over 300 minutes at major tournaments since netting against Canada at the last World Cup.

They needed less than two minutes to end that drought.

Influential De Bruyne

A sweeping move climaxed when Jeremy Doku’s pass found Romelu Lukaku in the Romania penalty area and he laid the ball back to Tielemans, who smashed a powerful low strike past Florin Nita from the edge of the area.

Romania’s Tottenham defender Radu Dragusin went close to equalising moments later with a towering header that Koen Casteels tipped over at full stretch.

After an injury-plagued season with Manchester City, in which he failed to reach his usual sky-high standards, De Bruyne had looked below his best against Slovakia.

The Belgium captain was far more influential this time, with a lung-bursting surge that ended with a pass to Dodi Lukebakio, whose strike was pushed away by Nita.

Doku was denied by another good stop from Nita after wriggling through the over-worked Romania defence.

Valentin Mihaila wasted a golden opportunity to equalise soon after half-time, pouncing on Amadou Onana’s wayward pass and sprinting clear, only to blaze high into the stands.

De Bruyne was moving through the gears ominously, curling just past the far post from 20 yards, then drawing a smart save from Nita with a shot on the turn.

Lukaku had two goals, including a late equaliser, disallowed by VAR against Slovakia.

The striker was denied by VAR again in the 63rd minute when he converted De Bruyne’s pass before being ruled narrowly offside.

Romania nearly profitted from that escape as Dennis Man raced clear, but couldn’t find the accuracy to beat Casteels.

De Bruyne finally delivered the knockout blow in the 80th minute, running onto Casteels’ long punt and firing past Nita.

“You saw a team with lots of quality, they have speed, they have explosion, power. They are a complete team. They are a candidate to win the title,” Iordanescu said of Belgium.

Romelu Lukaku and Kevin de Bruyne during Belgium’s 1-0 loss to Slovakia in UEFA Euro 2024.© AFP