Neighbours France, Belgium clash in heavyweight contest

The France captain’s only goal in his two appearances so far came from the penalty spot against Poland

France and Belgium meet in the pre-quarterfinal at the Euro on Monday. The neighbours are the top two European nations in the FIFA rankings—France is at No. 2 and Belgium at No. 3—but they haven’t been playing like it so far.

The drama surrounding Kylian Mbappe’s broken nose has died down somewhat, though he will still need to wear a protective mask for the match. The France captain’s only goal in his two appearances so far came from the penalty spot against Poland.

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There has been some criticism in France of the team’s style of play, in particular its lack of efficiency upfront. France coach Didier Deschamps doesn’t appear too concerned at this stage, even telling disgruntled armchair critics: “If they don’t like it, they can change the channel.”

Meanwhile, Disenchantment with Belgium’s performances went up a notch after the 0-0 draw against Ukraine that closed the group stage and left the team in second place, behind Romania, and on a collision course with France.

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