psychodrama, end of cycle and ghost scorer… What you need to know about Belgium, the Blues’ opponent in the round of 16

Like the French team that they meet on Monday, the Red Devils did not manage to assume their status as favorite in their group by finishing in second place.

“4-0 for Belgium.” Among our neighbors, there is hardly anyone other than cycling champion Remco Evenepoel who displays such confidence ahead of the Red Devils’ round of 16 against the French team at the Euro, Monday July 1 at 6 p.m. The Belgians come to the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Düsseldorf as outsiders, even if the Blues, like them, finished in a disappointing second place in their group. Before this new episode of a rivalry revived by the semi-final of the 2018 World Cup (1-0) and that overturned by the French in the Nations League at the start of October 2021 (3-2), here is what you need to know about the Belgium.

A gloomy atmosphere around the selection

The scene was surprising on Wednesday, at the end of the qualification of Domenico Tedesco’s men thanks to a draw against Ukraine (0-0). Whistled and insulted by their own fans disappointed with a weak performance, the Belgians turned around before arriving at the corner under the leadership of their captain Kevin De Bruyne. The national press did not spare them, describing the players as“tasteless” And “without panache”.

“I find it a shame the disproportionate reactions from supporters and comments. Having sweeping speeches… It has to be constructive otherwise we won’t go anywhere, ex-Parisian Thomas Meunier commented at length in the aftermath, affected in front of the press. For me, indifference creates much more guilt than whistles. Driving six hours to insult players, I don’t think that’s an end goal that will suit everyone.”.

Lukaku, golden boot without VAR

Since the start of the competition, fate has been against Romelu Lukaku. Unlike the last World Cup where he had multiplied the enormous failures and condemned his team to a humiliating elimination in the first round, the center forward loaned to Rome by Chelsea this season this time set the sights by finding the target three times. path of the nets. But whether against Slovakia twice (0-1 defeat) and against Romania (2-0 victory), his goals have always been canceled, and rightly so.

Without this, he would sit at the top of the scoring rankings for this Euro alongside Georges Mikautadze (Georgia), Ivan Schranz (Slovakia) and Jamal Musiala (Germany). “We have the team to defend him wellWilliam Saliba said on Thursday. I don’t think there are many defenders who enjoy facing Lukaku. You have to be focused, not throw yourself. We know he’s strong. You don’t want to stick too close to him either..” He will nevertheless have to be careful with his partner Dayot Upamecano in the hinge, because the best scorer in the history of Belgium (85 goals in 118 matches), has not remained silent in four matches in a row for six years.

The end of a golden generation

Exit Eden Hazard, Vincent Kompany and Marouane Fellaini… The Belgian selection has already been coming to the end of a cycle for two tournaments. In Germany, the golden generation born in the 2010s no longer has, among the starters, only Romelu Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne and an aging Jan Vertonghen in defense (37 years old). It is also in this sector that Belgium appears the most fragile. While Thibaut Courtois, long injured and on bad terms with the coach, has left the goal to Koen Casteels, the rearguard featuring Rennes’ Arthur Theate, ex-Rémois Wout Faes and Timothy Castagne is not as reassuring as that of the French.

Up front, the renewal of the squad seems more successful with the emergence of winger Jérémy Doku (Manchester City) and Loïs Openda (Leipzig). Even if in the flat country, we are especially waiting for the first minutes of Charles De Ketelaere, winner of the Europa League with Atalanta. The latter has been chomping at the bit with the Red Devils since the appointment of Tedesco, reluctant to bring in youth despite reputedly innovative coaching at 38 years old.