Football’s perennial under-archivers, Belgium, have once again been booted out of a major football championship by France.
The Blues booked their place in the Russia 2018 World Cup final, Tuesday, as a second-half header from defender Samuel Umtiti was enough to compound the woes of the star-studded Belgian side that beat the almighty Brazil in the quarterfinals last week.
Umtiti was the unlikely hero but France are in the World Cup final for the third time in 20 years after winning the global gold cup in 1998 as hosts.
Bookmakers had predicted a tough match in St Petersburg and it lived to expectations even when Belgium had 64 per cent ball possession. France came with a superior tactics and it worked for them.
Defender Umtiti headed home a corner from Antoine Griezmann in the 51st minute to settle the all-European tie, booking Les Bleus a trip to Moscow and a clash against either Croatia or England on Sunday in Moscow.
Goalkeepers Hugo Lloris and Thibaut Courtois both made smart saves to make sure an intriguing game remained scoreless at the interval.
Deservedly, the Belgians had 64% of the possession but the French deserved to win.
When they got the goal, they knew how to kill the game. Every time Hazard or De Bruyne got the ball they were smothered. At no point in the second half did Belgium play as if they were going to score. This French team are just good and they are getting better with each game.
