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

When the mask fell, there was no hero in sight. Instead, France’s worst fear presented himself – a man struggling with the expectation of a nation on his shoulders.

With top spot in Group D up for grabs in the scorching Ruhr Valley heat, Kylian Mbappe, who completed the Ninja Turtle look by sporting a mask to protect his broken nose, stayed calm as he slotted home from the penalty spot in the second half, putting France seemingly on course for a comfortable victory over a Poland side with nothing to play for.

Real Madrid’s latest recruit had plenty of chances to see off the Polish resistance once and for all in Dortmund, but further profligacy from a team without a goal from open play all tournament proved costly, as another more seasoned pro, at home with carrying his country on his back, spoiled the party.

Very few have been among the outstanding individuals in three major international tournaments. Griezmann has: he was the top scorer in Euro 2016, a goalscorer and the man of the match in the final of the 2018 World Cup, a revelation when reinvented as a midfielder in 2022. He was Mbappe and Olivier Giroud’s sidekick in attack, a man who meant Karim Benzema’s long international exile barely mattered, until he suddenly became Paul Pogba’s replacement.

And then, suddenly, Griezmann was the odd man out against Poland. The match against the Netherlands was, Deschamps had said, “not his best game in blue”. And yet the presumption was that Griezmann’s name would be inked onto the teamsheet, with 10 others to follow. So if the attention revolved around Mbappe when Deschamps chose his team last time out, against Belgium, Griezmann could supplant him. Is the end of an era, the fracturing of an alliance, or was it merely a one-off?

This was not the first slight for Griezmann since the World Cup: he was overlooked for the captaincy when the younger Mbappe was promoted ahead of him. Deschamps has hinted at some dissent in the French camp in Germany but exonerated a stalwart. “Maybe Antoine has a bone to pick but for me it’s not a problem,” he said. “It’s a choice. He [Griezmann] took it as a professional, with a smile, there’s no problem. There are others who aren’t happy.”

The manager presented it as rotation, given the number of high-intensity matches a veteran has played this season. L’Equipe reported that Atletico Madrid’s record scorer was “disappointed” and “frustrated” at his demotion.

A French talisman has been camouflaged. Less of Kylian Mbappe has been seen than expected: he missed the stalemate with the Netherlands. When he returned against Poland, some of his face was concealed by the mask protecting his broken nose.

If Antoine Griezmann has been obscured, it is for different reasons. If Mbappe’s return formed one notable detail on the teamsheet for the Poland draw, an absentee was perhaps still more significant. For the first time in a tournament game since 2016 when there was something at stake, Griezmann did not start for France.

He has been the great constant: the footballer who played in a world record 84 consecutive games for his country. His tally of 132 caps is rare: rarer still is that they have all come for the same manager. Griezmann and Didier Deschamps formed a double act that has underpinned the French era of supremacy and consistency.

France XI: Maignan; Kounde, Upamecano, Saliba, Hernandez: Kante, Tchouameni, Griezmann; Dembele, Mbappe, Thuram.

Belgium XI: Casteels; Castagne, Faes, Vertonghen, Theate; Mangala, Onana; Openda, De Bruyne, Doku; Lukaku.

There are no new injury concerns for France, so expect Didier Deschamps to go with his trusted personnel. There may be room for Aurelien Tchouameni to start over Adrien Rabiot, while Griezmann or Mbappe could move wide to enable Thuram or Giroud to start centrally in attack.

The defence will likely stay the same after a string of impressive performances. Most of those who played in other positions during the draw against Poland – such as Bradley Barcola, Youssouf Fofana and Randal Kolo Muani – have likely not done enough to earn a starting spot for Les Bleus.

Belgium have no known injury worries either, but Domenico Tedesco could look to change things as his side continue to struggle.

There are few alternatives in the back five despite poor performances, with the experiment involving Yannick Carrasco at full-back having failed miserably.

In midfield, Amadou Onana is one of few Belgian players to come out of the group stages with any credit, while Youri Tielemans ws ineffective against Ukraine and could be replaced by Orel Mangala.

Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku will surely start, but both Jeremy Doku and Leandro Trossard may be worried about their starting spots, with Lois Openda, Johan Bakayoko and Dodi Lukebakio all waiting in the wings.

The match will kick off at 5pm BST on Monday 1 July at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Dusseldorf.

What TV channel is it on?

The match will be shown on ITV 1 with coverage starting at 4pm. The match can also be streamed live online via ITVX. You can find a full list of which channel is showing each match here.

If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.

Didier Deschamps’s misfiring France side take on a struggling Belgium team at the last 16 of Euro 2024 on Monday, 1 July.

What would usually be the tie of the round arrives with some trepidation from both sides, as both come into the match having finished second in their groups and experienced mix results in their first three games.

Les Bleus will be the more confident of the two teams, with Didier Deschamps’ side confident in their big-game record and boasting an impressive spine of Mike Maignan, William Saliba, Ngolo Kante and Kylian Mbappe.

Though France haven’t found their shooting boots yet, their brilliant defensive unit will be confident against a disjointed, misfiring Belgian attack, with the Red Devils struggling against Slovakia and Ukraine as Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Jeremy Doku have struggled to click.

Les Bleus will be favourites but Belgium’s level of talent means that you can never rule them out, so both sides will need to be at their best – or, at least, a lot better than they have been – if they want to secure a place in the last eight.

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.

When is France v Belgium?

The match will kick off at 5pm BST on Monday 1 July at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Dusseldorf.

What TV channel is it on?

The match will be shown on ITV 1 with coverage starting at 4pm. The match can also be streamed live online via ITVX. You can find a full list of which channel is showing each match here.

If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.