France 1-0 Belgium: Belgium Player Ratings as they crash out in Round of 16 at the hands of Les Bleus | Euro 2024

It was a disappointing exit for Belgium who lost 1-0 to France in the Round of 16 of Euro 2024 on Monday, July 1.

Coming into the game, Domenico Tedesco's side looked to overturn some of their middling performances that saw them finish second in Group E. He switched his tactics from the group stage, playing a 4-4-2. RB Leipzig's Lois Openda replaced Leandro Trossard to partner Romelu Lukaku up front while Yannick Carrasco came in for Youri Tielemans.

It was a cagey first half that saw neither side able to create clear-cut chances. Belgium were content to sit deep and absorb pressure from France who could not really test goalkeeper Koen Casteels.

The second half saw the game open up a bit more as both sides went in search of a goal to break the deadlock. Mike Maignan was called into action a few times, while some poor finishing let Les Bleus down.

Finally, in the 85th minute, a nice passage of play saw N'Golo Kante find Randal Kolo Muani in the box. The striker's shot took a wicked deflection off Jan Vertonghen, wrong-footing Casteels and finding the back of the net.

The result marks yet another forgettable performance at the Euros for Belgium. They have gone out at the quarterfinals in both the previous editions along with an exit in the group stages in the previous World Cup. Here are the player ratings:

Belgium Player Ratings

Koen Casteels - 6/10

He made a couple of good saves and was decent with the ball at his feet but could not do anything about the goal.

Timothy Castagne - 6.5/10

Despite the loss, it was a good performance from the Fulham wing-back. Given the unenviable task of marking Kylian Mbappe, he did well to keep the superstar quiet for most of the game.

Wout Faes - 6.5/10

A solid performance in central defense from Faes, a marked improvement from his outings in the group stages. He finished with three tackles won, three clearances and four duels won.

Jan Vertonghen - 5.5/10

Vertonghen looked shaky early on but then did well to find his footing. He was unfortunate to concede the own goal that sent Belgium home.

Arthur Theate - 6/10

A decent performance from the 24-year-old who normally plays in central defense for his club Rennes.

Jeremy Doku - 5.5/10

It was a frustrating outing from the Manchester City man, who showed flashes of his brilliant dribbling ability but his decision-making in the final third needs improvement.

Kevin De Bruyne - 5.5/10

Tedesco may end up rueing his decision to play De Bruyne in a deeper role to start the game, robbing him of the opportunity to show his creative side. He did better with the introduction of Orel Mangala but could not have the decisive impact he badly desired.

Amadou Onana - 6/10

The Everton man put in his usual energetic shift, impressing off the ball but couldn't do much with it.

Yannick Carrasco - 5/10

Carrasco missed the best chance of the game when he probably took one touch too many after receiving a splendid pass from De Bruyne. Elsewhere, he could not have much of an impact.

Lois Openda - 5.5/10

The tactical switch saw Openda get his first start in the tournament, paired alongside Lukaku. However, Belgium's negative approach meant he barely got an opportunity to impress and was removed after the hour mark, failing to register a shot attempt and getting just 11 touches overall.

Romelu Lukaku - 4.5/10

Similar to Openda, he struggled to get on the ball in the first half and was dominated by William Saliba, managing just eight touches in the first period. He got a chance to score in the second half but his effort was saved fairly comfortably by Maignan.

Substitutes

Orel Mangala - 6/10

His introduction put Belgium in a more familiar shape, allowing De Bruyne to have a more creative role.

Dodi Lukebakio and Charles De Ketelaere - N/A

The pair came on late and did not play enough minutes to merit a rating.