Only France’s class and pedigree can make you deny how dire they are playing

IF YOU CAN’T be brilliant be lucky.

France won this dire and dour contest with Belgium due to an enormous slice of good fortune.

And cruelest of glances off Jan Vertonghen’s left knee.

It was the only goal and enough to secure their passage into the quarter finals.

France started this tournament with another 1-0 win over Austria courtesy of an own goal. They now have another and it is an indication of their malfunctioning attack and lacklustre midfield that one of their players still hasn’t scored from free play in this competition.

Yet they head for the last eight, although with none of the fear factor or aura that they would have arrived in Germany with.

The winner came in the 85th minute and it was no surprise that right back Jules Kounde was instrumental.

His precise delivery from that side provided good chances for Marcus Thurmam and Kylian Mbappe earlier in the game but this time all it needed was his patience and awareness of space to prod a pass back five yards to N’Golo Kane rather than attempt a blind cross into a sea of bodies.

The midfielder then quickly played a pass into the feet of Muani and the PSG frontman was allowed to turn and get a half yard to play a ball of his own across goal.

It struck the outstretched leg of Vertonghen and trickled into the net beyond goalkeeper Koen Casteels who had already dived in anticipation of where he expected Muani’s cross to land.

If it’s 37-year-old Vertonghen’s last act for his country it’s a desperate way to bow out.

It could have been glorious seconds earlier.

Extra-time was beckoning and before that decisive moment in Belgium’s own box a rare attacking move at the other end forced Mike Maignan into an important save.

Jeremy Doku was sharp down the left, Romelu Lukaku created space in the centre with an overlapping run and all of a sudden the pitch opened up for the advancing Kevin De Bruyne.

He was 18 yards out and had Theo Hernandez rushing to close him down as he fired a fierce drive that Maignan parried away to his left.

These were the only real moments of drama on an otherwise tense encounter.

Belgium’s Jan Vertonghen (left) scores an own goal. Alamy Stock Photo


Alamy Stock Photo

Hernandez’s ability to recover was also needed on the hour mark when he bailed centre back William Saliba out for an ill-judged burst forward. The Arsenal defender lost possession on the half way line, De Bruyne slipped a pass down the right for Yannick Carrasco and just as he fired a shot on goal the AC Milan man slid in to block for a corner.

There were wild celebrations between him and his defensive colleagues and that moment became all the more precious when Vertonghen’s attempts at a block of his own had altogether different consequences.

Once both sets of fans had finished booing the anthems it seemed as though these players were then simply intent on showing each other respect.

France were either afraid or incapable of imposing their superiority.

Belgium seemed to accept their underdog status and retreated into a shell accordingly.

There were moments of some spark but nothing to catch light until the very end.

Mbappe was restricted to half chances, one curling effort early in the second half that fizzed wide and two inside the box that he also missed the target with after good work from Kounde.

He delivered a zinger of a cross for Marcus Thurmam on 27 minutes but the Inter Milan striker was also off target with a near-post header.

Belgium were lacklustre and even though those two second-half chances came their way there was no stage in the game when they produced a sustained period of control.

France barely did enough, and just like in the group stages they were superior without being impressive.

Only their class and pedigree prevents you from dismissing their chances of glory, even if, right now, your eyes tell you something completely different about what this France team are capable of.

They look laboured and disjoninted with enough defensive lapses in concentration that will give better, more confident, teams hope.

But they are still brilliant and maybe they also have luck on their side until that shines through when it matters from here on in.