In the Round of 16 of the European Championship, France defeated Belgium 1-0, with the only goal being an unfortunate own goal by Belgian center-back Jan Vertonghen.
It is worth mentioning that after France scored, Mbappé ran to Vertonghen to celebrate, an act considered a clear taunt towards his opponent.
The dramatic twist in the match occurred near the end of the game, when Vertonghen accidentally deflected the ball into his own net, giving France the lead. Mbappé swiftly ran to Vertonghen and celebrated the goal in a provocative manner, even uttering a few words to Vertonghen, which led to a verbal warning from the referee.
Mbappé’s actions stemmed from the tension that had built up between the two players during the match. Earlier, Vertonghen had publicly accused Mbappé of diving to win a penalty, a statement that angered the young French star, leading to an escalation of their on-field confrontation, which even required intervention from the referee, resulting in warnings for both players.
Despite this, Vertonghen and his Belgian teammates successfully contained the performance of key French players like Mbappé for most of the game, and Mbappé himself experienced several missed opportunities. However, the unexpected own goal proved to be the turning point of the match.
Vertonghen, 37, has been playing for the Belgian national team since 2007, amassing 156 appearances and scoring 10 goals, a national team appearance record. He appeared dejected after causing the own goal, but sportsmanship ultimately prevailed. After the match, he shook hands with Mbappé, demonstrating the professionalism of a seasoned player.
With this victory, France continues its impressive streak of reaching the Round of 8 in major international tournaments for the seventh consecutive time since Euro 2012. They will face Portugal in the quarter-finals, who advanced after a tough victory over Slovenia.
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