France v Belgium LIVE: Euro 2024 result and reaction as Jan Vertonghen own goal proves decisive

They might have been to a major international tournament final in the not-too-distant past, but a tame start to the Euro 2024 group stage has been enough to start questions of team selection, adventurism and whether they really are among the favourites to triumph in Germany this summer.

Even though they’re still unbeaten after two games, and with the weakest team left to play, the performances haven’t been enough. They haven’t been convincing throughout. They haven’t shown that the best players are playing to their best form, and so there is room for criticism.

A clarification; reading the opening paragraphs, thoughts might turn to England and expecting that it’s written about them.

It was thirty years of hurt when Gareth Southgate stepped up and missed a penalty and it was about to become at least 60 until Jude Bellingham attempted an overhead kick. Southgate makes no secret of his ambitions to emulate Sir Alf Ramsey, to double the number of trophy-winning managers in England’s history.

He looks to the past to provide inspiration and lessons alike. If 1966 has become a profitable nostalgia industry, it is so long ago that many of the England players’ parents were not born. They could be forgiven for not knowing all the details.

At St George’s Park, before England ventured to Germany, Southgate turned back time. “We showed the players a presentation about 1966 and how Geoff Hurst hadn’t played until the quarter-final.”

Hurst ended up the hat-trick hero in the final and if that scarcely needs explaining, some of Southgate’s charges may not know that a man who achieved immortality had entered the 1966 World Cup with a lone international goal to his name.

Gareth Southgate has explained why he showed England players a presentation about the 1966 World Cup win as their Euro 2024 campaign continues.

Speaking after their 2-1 victory against Slovakia on Sunday, 30 June, the under-pressure England boss said that he wanted to highlight how tournaments “take you in strange places and difficult routes.”

It came after Southgate revealed that Ivan Toney “had the hump” with him for bringing him on in the 94th minute.

“We wanted to highlight the value of the squad. The fact that some of the players you think are going to be in like a Jimmy Greaves then ends up playing a different role and the support of players like Jimmy Armfield,” Southgate added.

Jude Bellingham said he was hitting back at the “rubbish” being spoken as he rescued England’s Euro 2024 campaign with a stunning last-gasp overhead kick equaliser against Slovakia.

The Real Madrid man had struggled to make an impression on the last-16 tie in Gelsenkirchen as England looked set to be heading home before his moment of inspiration, with Harry Kane then heading home in extra time to secure a 2-1 win.

Gareth Southgate’s side will now meet Switzerland in Dusseldorf on Saturday as England look to end a 58-year wait for a major men’s trophy.

Gareth Southgate, duly, still believed. As the clock ticked into the 94th minute, and England looked like they were still going, the manager evidently wasn’t thinking about what he was going to say. He was still thinking about how they could rescue it, what could be done.

“I had belief right the way through that we’d get the goal. I didn’t think it would be as late as it was. I wasn’t ready to go home yet and clearly the players felt the same way.”

One player certainly wasn’t, and there is an argument he thinks in a different way than any previous England player. Jude Bellingham has now given the national team a moment they’ve never had. There’s never been salvation like this.

It hasn’t been the greatest of tournaments for Belgium so far. They were shockingly beaten by Slovakia in their opening match of the competition before seemingly finding their feet in a confident 2-0 win over Romania.

However, their final group match ended in a goalless draw against Ukraine who were the better team for the majority of the second half with pressure mounting.

The Red Devils ensured they got through to the knockout rounds but much like England have seemed far from their best. However, unlike the Three Lions who topped their group, Belgium now have to play a very strong opponent in France.

Les Bleus have also failed to reach the top heights of their own levels but they will want to reach the latter stages of the tournament and will come out strong tonight.

Can Belgium find another level to challenge in this game?

Belgium will face France in the last 16 of Euro 2024 following a 0-0 draw with Ukraine, who crashed out of the tournament.

The Red Devils limped through Group E, finishing second behind Romania.

That means they will meet France next as Ukraine exited on goal difference and become the first team to depart the extended European Championship at the group stage with four points.

Belgium goalkeeper Koen Casteels spoke ahead of tonight’s last-16 tie between his team and France. Casteels has enjoyed a good tournament so far and believes his team can still progress further though he will no doubt be in for a busy night trying to keep Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Greizmann quiet.

“I think that everyone is ready for the Euros round of 16,” he said. “We all need to be in top form in order to win the game. But we believe, and we should focus on our own strengths.

“You can see in training that everyone is really focused, including on the plan that the coach has given us, to execute it to the best of our abilities.”

As Belgium’s group-stage campaign came to an end at Euro 2024, there was only one attribute as evident as their innate collective talent: their dependency on Kevin De Bruyne, a player who is not even at his best right now.

This Belgium team has been built upon the fading remnants of a golden generation and the glistening jewels of the next one, but so far in Germany, they have failed to consistently combine. Those shortcomings resulted in the ‘shock’ opening loss to Slovakia, and they resulted in this dispiriting draw with Ukraine.

There were reasons to be encouraged last week, as Belgium saw off Romania and Group E became a literal level playing field, with three points held by each team. Yet most of those reasons could be traced back to De Bruyne.

In truth, his performance was a mixed one, with poor deliveries and shots littered between his well-taken goal and foraging runs in the opposition half. But ultimately that goal, those runs, and his endless pursuit of playing the perfect ball embodied De Bruyne’s most important contribution: a competitive fire that proved crucial.

France captain Kylian Mbappe will wear a mask throughout the rest of Euro 2024 after breaking his nose during the team’s opening victory against Austria.

The superstar forward was left covered in blood after suffering the brutal injury when his face collided into the shoulder of Austria defender Kevin Danso, later leaving the stadium in an ambulance.

Subsequent tests confirmed Mbappe did not require immediate surgery and he returned to training two days later while sporting a protective covering in the colours of the French flag, alleviating concerns that he would be ruled out of the tournament.