France have forgotten how to score goals and are still in the European Championship quarter-finals - thanks to two own goals, a penalty and the "Blue Bunker". Didier Deschamps and his charges are satisfied.
"We won a great game against a great team. It was close, even though we had a lot of possession and chances. We shouldn't trivialize the fact that we're in the quarter-finals," said France coach Didier Deschamps after the deserved but laborious mini-victory against Belgium for the tournament favourites, who have been conspicuous for their minimalism so far.
The 19th attempt brings victory
As in the 1-0 win over Austria in the opening match, an own goal gave the French victory. "I wanted to finish, the shot was deflected and went into the goal," said Randal Kolo Muani, who came on as a substitute after an hour. The Paris Saint-Germain striker forced the decisive deflection off Jan Vertonghen with what was in itself a harmless move. "At first we had no luck, and then I did," he added aptly.
France force luck, that's how you can see it. In the end, the "Blue Bunker" ("L'Équipe") held tight for the third time in the fourth game and the French, who had been "chloroformed" (AFP) by the Belgians, scored 20 times on Monday in Düsseldorf. The 19th, which would have gone right next to the goal, led to a goal.
"It's not important to play beautifully. What counts is the win," said Adrien Rabiot, not without good reason. The win against Belgium was "logical", said the Juventus midfielder, who was suspended for the quarter-final. "We were a bit clumsy with our shots, but we kept the pressure on until the end."
Kolo Muani makes amends
Although the goal was consequently deemed an own goal. For Kolo Muani, however, it is a special satisfaction, a compensation for what was missed. Two and a half years ago, the 25-year-old was France's tragic figure in the dramatic World Cup final against Argentina, a 2:4 penalty shoot-out after a 3:3 draw after 120 minutes, when he missed the match ball late in extra time alone in front of Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
A scene that has stayed with Kolo Muani to this Monday and beyond. "That could have changed my life. I'll never forget it, never," he recently told L'Équipe. What's more, Kolo Muani had an unsatisfactory year in Paris as a supplementary player with little playing time. "It was a very complicated season, I've never had so many difficulties since I started playing," he admitted before the European Championship.
Nevertheless, Didier Deschamps did not drop Kolo Muani and called him up to his European Championship squad. "Maybe I like him too much, but you don't love him enough," said the national coach in November. Now "DD" has received confirmation of his faith in "RKM".
SDA
