France vs Belgium: Who will book a World Cup final berth?
France will take on Belgium in a star-studded semi-finals clash at Krestovsky Stadium on Tuesday evening.
It’s the first of two all-European semi-finals, with England hoping to book their spot in the final at Croatia’s cost on Wednesday. And ahead of what is sure to be a glittering affair, let’s have a quick look at how each side got to this juncture and a very interesting backstory that will be playing out behind the scenes.
Belgium
Belgium is just one of a few sides – the others being Uruguay and Croatia – to successfully complete the group stage campaign with a perfect three wins out of three. The Red Devils, who are chasing their first ever senior title, easily brushed aside debutants Panama and minnows Tunisia before earning a narrow 1-0 victory over England.
Roberto Martinez’s men could end up facing England yet again should the Three Lions dispatch Croatia, but for now, their focus will be on booking the ticket to the final. However, it’s been far from smooth sailing since the knockout rounds began. Belgium was on the brink of a shocking collapse against Japan before rallying back to earn a deserved 3-2 victory and end the Samurai Blue’s hopes of being Asia’s representative in the quarter-finals. They also appeared far from assured in large spells of the game against Brazil but managed to hang on to earn a 2-1 victory, despite a late scare when Tite’s troops clawed a goal back late in the second half.
Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, and Romelu Lukaku were deployed in a three-man attacking formation and it paid dividends. Whilst Lukaku was unable to score – and thus is still hoping to finally open his account in the knockout rounds – De Bruyne benefited from playing further up the pitch, and Belgium’s supporters will hope that the former Everton manager will opt to stick with this formula for the clash against France.
France
Meanwhile, France’s group stage campaign was nothing to write home about, but Les Bleus did just enough to top a group that contained Denmark, Peru, and Australia and set themselves up for a clash against a weary and out-of-sorts Argentina. However, La Albiceleste were not going to go down without a fight, and nearly pushed the game into extra time with Sergio Aguero’s late goal, but ultimately the match, which arguably was one of the most exciting ones fans have seen all tournament, finished 4-3 in favor of Didier Deschamps’s side.
Kylian Mbappe further cemented his status as one of the rising stars of the game with his well-earned brace against Argentina, whilst Benjamin Pavard scored a goal he’ll be telling his grandkids about someday. That win earned France a match-up against another South American powerhouse, but Uruguay’s threat was dramatically nullified due to the absence of Edinson Cavani.
Despite not kicking into full gear, France earned a 2-0 win over La Celeste and is just 90 minutes (or possibly more) away from featuring in its first final since 2006. Mbappe, of course, has received plenty of plaudits, but Antoine Griezmann, who has scored in back to back games, has also been another strong performer, as well as France’s midfield warrior, N’Golo Kante.
A star-studded cast
A look at France and Belgium’s teams will reveal a very interesting facet: A vast majority of these players ply their trades in the biggest leagues in Europe. The Premier League is well represented, with France’s Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kante, Olivier Giroud, and Hugo Lloris all featuring for Manchester United, Chelsea, and Tottenham, whilst Belgium’s Eden Hazard, Thibaut Courtois, Kevin De Bruyne, Vincent Kompany, Romelu Lukaku, and Marouane Fellaini all earn their wages at Chelsea, Manchester City, and Manchester United.
La Liga also has its fair share of players, including Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann and Yannick Carrasco, Real Madrid’s Raphael Varane, and Barcelona duo Samuel Umtiti and Ousmane Dembele. Red Devils star Dries Mertens is one player flying the flag proudly for Serie A, where he has been on a goal-scoring fest for the Partenopei over the past few seasons. France’s Blaise Matuidi, of course, has been a solid performer for Juventus since joining the club from PSG. And let’s not forget Ligue 1, where young starlet Kylian Mbappe plies his trade, as well as his colleague Thomas Lemar, and the Bundesliga, where Michy B and Corentin Tolisso play their club football.
An interesting personal duel
With all these stars on display, it’s understandable that another interesting duel could be easily overlooked. But let’s not forget that one of the men on Belgium’s bench will be facing an interesting dilemma come kick-off. Thierry Henry, who won the World Cup, EURO, and Confederations Cup in 1998, 2000, and 2003 with France, is now the assistant coach for Belgium. He’ll be coming up against none other than Didier Deschamps, who was the captain of Les Bleus’ winning squad in 1998 when Henry was just 21 years old.
Henry, who probably sees himself in Mbappe due to their similar playing style, won’t be the first manager to take on his nation of birth in recent times. At this World Cup, we’ve already seen Portuguese manager Carlos Queiroz face Iran, and in the past, Serbia’s Milovan Rajevac took on his home country whilst in charge of Ghana at the 2010 World Cup, whilst Jorge Sampaoli masterminded Chile’s win over Argentina in the 2015 Copa America final.
