By Elton Gomes
French defender Samuel Umtiti scored a vital goal as the Les Blues defeated Belgium in the first semi-final of the FIFA World Cup. France defeated Belgium 1-0 and have entered the finals of the world cup in Russia.
France started the game on the back foot and lacked pace in the initial stage, while, Belgium, on the other hand, started on a strong note and got some crosses to disrupt the French defence. Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku seemed out of form, and the French defence managed to keep him in check, but captain Eden Hazard looked on top of his game. In the 15th minute, Hazard’s shot was tantalisingly close to the far post.
French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris was in action early on in the game as he made an extraordinary save in the 22nd minute when Toby Alderweireld struck a thunderous left-foot shot.
After 30 minutes into the game, France gradually found their rhythm and in the 33rd minute, Antoine Griezmann played a long ball towards Kylian Mbappe. Mbappe found himself in space and delivers a square pass to Olivier Giroud, waiting in the middle. However, Jan Vertonghen managed to clear the danger. France had another opportunity when Mbappe played defender Benjamin Pavard in the 39th minute. This time, Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was forced into action as his legs managed to roll the ball back for a corner.
Both Belgium and France managed to create chances in the first half but were unable to break the deadlock. France was gradually gaining control over Belgium and looked stronger as the second half got underway. The Les Blues finally broke the deadlock in the 51st minute via a header from Samuel Umtiti. In the 51st minute, Griezmann delivered a corner, and Samuel Umtiti outdid his marker Toby Alderweireld and got the header in the back of the net. The goal was a boost of confidence for France, while Belgium sought to breach the French defence.
Thereafter, France almost retreated towards a defensive game, but still looked threatening at times. Defenders Raphael Varane and Umtiti managed to clear all balls into the penalty area, and Lloris punched away anything that was dangerous for the French. Belgium midfielder Kevin De Bruyne continued with several efforts in the box. Lukaku, however, was unable to make the most of De Bruyne’s crosses.
At the hour mark, Belgium coach Roberto Marinez brought in Dries Mertens for Moussa Dembele. Within minutes of coming on, Mertens delivered a cross for Marouane Fellaini, but the Manchester United forward failed to convert. The ball then fell to De Bruyne, who sent his shot horribly wide. Mertens continued to cause all sorts of problems for the French, but Varane, Pavard, and Umtiti somehow managed to contain the Belgian threat.
Nonetheless, Belgium pressed forward. In the 81st minute, after a one-two with Lukaku, Hazard found some pace in the French box. Varane tried to stop him, but the ball dropped to Axel Witsel, who managed a swerving shot on target. But Lloris rose to the occasion again.
Towards the end of the game, Mbappe picked up an unnecessary yellow card for wasting time. Belgium tried to script a comeback like they did against Japan, but France proved too strong for the Red Devils. France has reached their first final since 2006, and where either England or Croatia lie in wait.
Elton Gomes is a staff writer at Qrius