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The French National Team Had to Work Hard to Secure Their Place in the Euro 2024 Quarter-Finals with a 1-0 Victory Over Belgium Thanks to Randal Kolo Muani Major Contribution
L’Équipe—one of the biggest newspapers in France—has given special attention to Randal Kolo Muani, the player who made a significant contribution to the only goal for Les Bleus against Belgium in the Round of 16 at Euro 2024, thus officially advancing to the quarter-finals.
The newspaper dedicated an entire section to discuss Kolo Muani, noting that the Paris Saint-Germain forward brought a fresh dynamic to the French attack, which had been disappointing in this match.
“Didier Deschamps placed his trust in Kolo Muani, who has not had an impressive season with PSG. Kolo Muani was preferred over Olivier Giroud—who did not even warm up—and was brought on to replace Marcus Thuram in the 62nd minute. The former Nantes player did not have many opportunities to shine, but it was his cross that led to Vertonghen’s own goal in the 85th minute, completely changing the course of the match.
Deschamps’ only substitution proved impactful, and Kolo Muani’s presence brought a new energy to the French attack, which had been very lackluster in this game,” L’Équipe remarked.
Almost two years ago, Randal Kolo Muani was considered the villain of French football after failing to beat goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez in a one-on-one situation, which led to France’s defeat and allowed Argentina to claim the World Cup title. Now, the 1998-born forward is in a different position, being the one who salvaged France, even though he did not score the goal himself.
France faced a very tough match against Belgium, where the high-profile attackers like Kylian Mbappé and Antoine Griezmann struggled against the opponent’s solid defense. It was only thanks to Jan Vertonghen’s own goal that France managed to overcome their opponent in 90 minutes of play and secure a spot in the final eight of this year’s Euro.
