Sublime and stunning.
After having done everything backwards and wrong, the Blues have put everything right side up and under the light of a team found, generous, brilliant.
They have a status of world champions and they have done him honor, by refusing to sink into the mediocrity of a distressing first period in combat, aggressiveness and duel.
They had left everything in the locker room and came back with it after the break.
As a symbol of this courage put into the engine of the second period, this 2-2 resulting from a penalty obtained by Antoine Griezmann and transformed by Kylian Mbappé.
There were demons to chase since the night of June 28 in Bucharest and this last missed goal in the final session against the Swiss in the round of 16 of the Euro.
How to say ?
The crack of Bondy took his responsibilities as he likes to say and sent a potato full of conviction on the left of one of the best goalkeepers in the world, Thibaut Courtois, that of Real Madrid.
Karim Benzema had already knocked him down a few minutes earlier on a pivot shot for his fifth goal since his return to the national team, more than five years later.
No one wasted their time in Turin
On arrival, this Belgium-France delivered an epic match, with two great punctual teams at the meeting of the League of Nations which is worth the detour. Spain-Italy had cachet beyond the first defeat of the European champions in ages and this revenge of the World Cup between neighbors has shined a little more the brilliance of the trophy. Nobody wasted their time in Turin and this is already good news, between two major nations in the game who remain potential favorites for the 2022 World Cup when they qualify. This is also what they had come to look for at Juventus Stadium: a world credibility after two failed tournaments, for the Blues as the Red Devils, left a round after this summer, in quarter against the Italians.
Read alsoBelgium-France (2-3), the notes of the Blues: Théo Hernandez scores points
Everyone will be able to meditate on their missed period.
The men of Didier Deschamps began by forgetting the prerequisite: collective solidity.
Yannick Carrasco's first goal confirmed a sieve tendency since in their last seven games, they have always taken at least one goal except against Finland.
However, they have not always met Romelu Lukaku, swift, powerful, with arguably the best bodywork in the world for an attacker.
The Chelsea Blues hurt the tricolor defense and Hugo Lloris not always inspired in his placement.
He thinks he scored a double at 87th before the video signals a logical offside.
The defeat would have been cruel.
France dominated Belgium more in the second half than the Belgians reduced them to powerlessness in the first.
She came back from 0-2 to 3-2 with, to finish, a masterpiece by Théo Hernandez for his second selection, a light strike on the left of Courtois who would have taken three goals on this side.
The Blues can conquer a new title on Sunday, three years after the World Cup.
Spain must be warned: the world champions are back!
Match sheet
Half-time:
2-0.
Referee:
M. Siebert (All).
Goals.
Belgium: Carrasco (37th), Lukaku (41st).
France: Benzema (62nd), Mbappé (69th sp), T. Hernandez (90th).
Warning.
Belgium: Vertonghen (67th).
Belgium:
Courtois - Alderweireld, Denayer, Vertonghen - Castagne (Batshuayi, 90th), Witsel, Tielemans (Vanaken, 70th), Carrasco - De Bruyne, Lukaku, E. Hazard (cap.) (Trossard, 74th).
Entr.
:
Martinez.
France:
Lloris (cap.) - Koundé, Varane, L. Hernandez - Pavard (Dubois, 90th), Pogba, Rabiot (Tchouaméni, 75th), T. Hernandez - Griezmann, Benzema (Veretout, 90th + 5), Mbappé.
Entr.
:
Deschamps.
