Key events
France are working it well, but the combinations need to be quicker BUT EXCUSE ME WHILE I INTERRUPT MYSELF!
Lovely from France, olise taking the ball and weaving on the right, before surprising the Belgium defence with a stabbed square pass across the face of the box for Barcola to arrive on to. He shoots low and hard, the effort taking a slight deflection, and whizzing just past the base of the post. The ref gives a goalkick.
And that’s Lukaku’s last contribution. He and Lukebakio, the goalscorer, give way to De Ketelaere and Godts.
Lukaku’s given Lacroix and Yoro a tough evening and both pursue him when he’s given a ball into space; Lacroix brings him down and is booked.
“Manu Koné was brilliant for Roma last season and has started this season like a train, says Kári Tulinius. “I think people pigeonhole him as a midfield destroyer, which is a role he does well, but to me he’s more of a midfield metronome. He keeps the ball moving and when he sees the opportunity he passes the ball to players in good positions or drives forward himself. He’s not a flashy player, but I really enjoy watching him play. I think eventually he’ll become one of Zidane’s regulars.”
I just need more from him – if he’s a metronome, he needs more touches.
France have Belgium pinned back now and Cherki shifts it to find a shooting lane, just outside the box, thumping a hard, flat curler … that Vandevoort prangs away, diving to his left. Excellent all-round.
GOAL! Italy 2-1 Turkey (Calafiori 65)
A free-kick swung out to the far post and Calafiori is up above Elmali to loop a fine header over Cakir and into the far side-netting. There were hands in the back, but I don’t think this is getting ruled out
GOAL! Italy 1-1 Turkey (Simsir 61)
A lovely ball inside the full-back from Elmali allows Celoik to cross low, and Agkun flocks square, taking Donnarumma out of the equation allowing Simsik to tap his first international goal into the unguarded net.
Changes for France: Akliouche, Dembele and Kone off, Da Cunha, Cherki and Olise on.
Dembele looks France’s most-likely difference-maker and he glides by Seys, crosses low; Lepaul’s shot flicks off Vandevoort and behind.
Lavio ploughs through Lacroix and, though he gets a bit of the ball, when the ref decides it’s a foul, the yellow card is inevitable. He’s out of the next match.
GOAL! Ukraine 0-1 Hungary (Toth 52)
A goal in the other match in the NI group. Michael O’Neill’s men top it, but if the scores stay as they are, they’ll only be a point behind.
Kone’s shot is blocked, hitting Lavia’s shoulder, and the ball breaks to Demeble, right side of the box. He lasers a right-footed shot just wide of the far post.
NI are again putting the pressure on, Devenny’s deflected cross almost looping to Donley at the back post. But Dvali improvises well to body it back to Mamardashvili, under pressure.
We’re off again in Paris. Belgium haven’t beaten France in a competitive game since 1981.
Half-time email: “The Azzurri should win on home soil today,” reckons AnhTuan Nguyen Huynh, “but their football revival is still waiting to materialise, and Mancini has plenty of work to do.”
It’s a long job, I’m afraid – they’ve not qualified for the last three tournaments and they’re not doing well in age-group football. Mancini might be able to inspire them and find some tactical solutions, but they’re a long way off contending at the business end of tournaments.
Half-time scores
We’re still playing in Belfast, where NI have a free-kick, 25 yards out, which Kelly bends low around the near side of the wall … and into the side-netting.
HALF-TIME: France 0-1 Belgium
Relative to what they’ll have planned, a near-perfect half from Belgium. Work for Zidane to do.
France are looking for an equaliser but Belgium have defended well. I don’t think it’ll be long before we see Cherki, whose ability to do the unexpected is what his team are currently lacking.
A ball in behind and Kelly streaks away down the right. He cuts into the box and might shoot from a narrow angle, but opts to square and a defender cuts out the pass. I don’t think he’s have scored had he had a go, but if he’s done so across goal, the man in the middle might’ve got a rebound, whereas the direct route to him was blocked.
“Why is it that Belgium produces so many fine goalkeepers?” wonders Justin Kavanagh. “The no 1 in the world (probably), Mr Courtois, steps aside and along comes Lammens and now this young guy tonight playing a blinder, Vandevoort. I remember Pfaff (the Cat with Golden Hands) and of course Michel Preud’homme – the no 1 shirt seems to be like the no 10 is in other countries.”
My sense is it’s coincidence, but I guess we might posit that the national character is pretty understated, which is generally what you want in a keeper.
I’d like a closer look at that France line. Lacroix, was I think, on Lukaku, and it was he who gave chase; the rest of the back four were pushed up, so I’m not sure if Lacroix should’ve played offside, or if Diouf just lost his man.
GOAL! France 0-1 Belgium (Lukebakio 35)
This is a blinder of a finish. Lavia whips a terrific low ball through the middle and Lukebakio runs off Diouf, steadies, then curls a lovely left-footed finish, set outside the post and screeching back inside, high past Restes at his near post.
Yoro wins a challenge and Camavinga swings a luscious diag out to Dembele, who crosses low for Lepaul … whose snap-shot whooshes high. Then, seconds later, Akliouche burrows into the box, crowded out just as he looks ready to shoot.
Charles has just made a fine save from Davitashvili, plunging low to tip away a goal-bound shot. His side have played well, but that’s the closest we’ve come to a goal.
GOAL! Italy 1-0 Turkey (Scamacca 26)
Vergara’s cross from the right causes a kerfuffle, the ball rebounding to Scamacca when he leaps with Kabak, and he drills an excellent finish into the roof, perhaps with the aid of a deflection.
What do we think about Manu Kone? I couldn’t get on board with the chat about him having a good World Cup – I thought he was alright at some points and anonymous at others. He’s one of those players, I think, who you feel should be better than he is because he’s got physicality and ability on the ball, he just isn’t good enough at finding it, so games pass him by.
Nice from France, Kone finding Lepaul, who swivels and shoots low … but straight at Vandevoort.
In Belfast, Northern Ireland are on top against Georgia, Shea Charles leading the charge. Alongside him, Ethan Galbraith is a really good profile – he’s not elite, but his strengths – ball-carrying and technical skill – make him very useful.
Camavinga slips Barcola in behind, and again the keeper does well, dashing out to narrow the angle and smother the shot.
GOAL! Romania 0-1 Sweden (Gyokeres 12)
Sweden take the lead, Gyokeres doing what he does.
Earlier in the day, now that you ask, Cyprus beat Latvia 2-1. They move second in the group, behind Montenegro, while Latvia are bottom behind Armenia.
Now it’s Restes with the settling save, Lukaku turning on the edge, away from Lacroix, and punching a low shot that the keeper dives to gather.
France are putting it on Belgium, Mechele just about levering Lepaul out of a header following Dembele’s dink.
“That tower in the stadium is pretty striking,” agrees Charles Antaki, “but I would imagine it has less to do with Liverpool and more to do with the campanile which are dotted around town; especially perhaps the ones in the Piazza Maggiore. All very beautiful. There’s a museum or art gallery or something of the sort in the square, and when I visited I was struck by the wide staircase which had remarkably low risers between the steps; apparently it was used by the top brass to ride their horses up to the first floor. I guess you could say that that might be replicated in the stadium, if the game gets too boring and a horse could be procured.”
The ground was built and designed in the fascist era, so a domineering monument makes sense from that perspective.
France have started quickly, Barcola ruining decent approach work with a poor decision – I may save and create a shortcut for that sentence, given he now plays in the Prem – and Akliouche then shot too close to Vandevoordt, who’ll have appreciated the early save.
I’ve also got NI v Georgia on, so it’s just Italy v Turkey we’re missing – and yes, I’m raging that I didn’t get to enjoy Il Canto degli Italiani, Bologna-style.
I’m afraid something’s not quite right: Prime is working on neither my desktop nor laptop, so I’m currently watching France v Belgium on my phone. Obviously this isn’t the immersion we were hooping for, but we’ll make the best of it and hopefully it’ll be resolved.
We’re under way…
I’m struggling to get Prime Video working, so I’m going to reset my computer; it’s anthem time.
It really is ridiculous how many good players France have. But can Zidane find the balance Deschamps could not against Spain? The answer, perhaps, might lie with Eduardo Camavinga, left out of the World Cup squad but whose quality and athleticism could make the difference in future.
Tonight’s a big night for the aforementioned Yoro, who’s shown his quality since joining Man United from Lille, but not consistently. Moreover, he doesn’t seem to have improved his weaknesses all that much: he’s still prone to losing men at set-pieces and his passing should also be better, faults thrown into sharper clarity by how well Jacquet has settled at Liverpool. United have been conceding goals, and the way Michael Carrick wants to play suits him, in theory – pace is essential with a high line. But, so far, he’s not shown enough to force his way into the starting XI ahead of Harry Maguire or Lisandro Martinez.
Email! “I was wondering,” writes Stephen Nolan, “why that stadium in Bologna looked familiar – that peculiar tower structure is a facsimile of Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral. Any link between the two?”
Er, not that Gemini can discern. But “Bologna’s stadium is often affectionately called a “football cathedral” due to its historic, red-brick arches and its iconic 42-meter Torre di Maratona (Marathon Tower) built into the stands.”
I’m disappointed we’re not seeing Godts from the start, but I’m sure we’ll get a cameo. On the plus side, Romeo Lavia has had such bad luck with injuries, so it’s always good to see him on the park.
Van Bommel also makes changes. In net, Senne Lammens, who’s been excellent in replacing Thibaut Courtois, is himself replaced, by Maarten Vandevoordt – it’s his debut too. Otherwise, Joaquin Seys is in for Maxim De Cuyper, while the suspended Youri Tielemans and Kevin de Bruyne are replaced by Roméo Lavia and Nicolas Raskin. Up front, Romelu Lukaku and Diego Moreira take the places of Mika Godts and Charles De Ketelaere.
Taking a closer look at the teams, Zidane does what he said he’d do, making 10 changes to the side that drew with Italy. I guess there are players he wants a look at, but also, for what Jews call shalom bayit, a peaceful home, it makes sense to gives starts to lads who’ve been away with the squad a long time.
So in goal, Guillaume Restes comes in for Mike Maignan, and at centre-back Leny Yoro replaces the injured Jeremy Jacquet – those two are making their debuts. Otherwise Jules Koundé, Andy Diouf, Maxence Lacroix, Manu Koné, Maghnes Akliouche, Bradley Barcola and Esteban Lepaul come in, with Kalulu, Upamecano, Truffert, Da Cunha, Cherki, Rabiot, Doué and Olise left out. The one man to maintain his spot is the captain, Ousmane Dembele.
Northern Ireland v Georgia teams
Northern Ireland (4-3-3): Charles P; Atcheson, McConville, Brown, Hume; Charles S, Galbraith, Devenny; Kelly, Donley, Price. Subs: Hazard, Peacock-Farrell, Devlin, Thompson, Marshall, O’Neill, Smyth, Morrison, McNair, Toal, Spencer, Magennis,
Georgia (3-4-1-2): Mamardashvili; Sazonov, Dvali, ,Lochoshvili; Kakabadze,Mekvabishvili, Kochorashvili, Mamageishvili; Davitashvili; Kvaratskhelia, Zivzivadze. Subs: Kereselidze, Gugeshashvili, Goglichidze, Lominadze, Chakvetadze, Lobjanidze, Kharebashvili, Kvernadze, Egoyan, Tsitaishvili, Gagua, Mikautadze.
Italy v Turkey teams
Italy (4-3-3): Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Mancini, Bastoni, Ruggeri; Barella, Romano, Doumbia; Vergara, Scamacca, Maldini. Subs: Calafiori, Cambiaghi, Carnesschi, Esposito, Fagioli, Frattesi, Inácio, Kayode, Scalvini, Tonali, Vicario.
Turkey (4-4-2): Uğurcan Çakır; Zeki Çelik, Abdülkerim Bardakçı, Ozan Kabak, Ferdi Kadıoğlu; Eren Elmali, İsmail Yüksek, Salih Özcan, İrfan Can Kahveci; Yunus Akgün, Aral Şimşir. Subs: Bayindir, Sengezer, Demiral, Topcu, DElmaz, Kerem Aktürkoğlu, Tiknaz, Deniz Gül, Ilhan Fakili, Melih Kabasakal, Oğuz Aydın, Mustafa Eskihellac.
France v Belgium teams
France (4-3-3): Restes; Koundé, Yoro, Lacroix, Diouf; Akliouche, Camavinga, M.Koné; Dembélé, Lepaul, Barcola. Subs: Butez, Cherki, Doué, Kalulu, Maignan, Olise, Rabiot, Truffert, Da Cunha.
Belgium (4-3-3): Vandevoort; Castagne, Mechele, Ngoy, Seys; Vanaken, Lavia, Raskin; Moreira, Lukaku, Lukébakio. Subs: De Cuyper, De Ketelaere, Zebast, Fernandez-Pardo, Godts, Keita, Lammens, Openda, Penders, Sabbe, Theate, Trossard.
Preamble
It feels churlish to grouse about a World Cup-winning manager, but sometimes, it must still be done: given the players Didier Deschamps had in 14 years in charge of France, one World Cup feels like bare minimum at best and failure at worst, the solitary triumph more likely in spite of than because of him.
So to Zinedine Zidane. On the one hand, it is not easy to pinpoint the tactical adjustments that won him and Real Madrd two La Liga titles and three Champions Leagues in a row but, on the other, if “all” he did was create an environment in which brilliant talents could flourish, that may also be “all” he needs to do with France.
It feels like it was several months ago, but actually it was just last week that his team won 1-0 in Belgium, who they face once again this evening. Mark van Bommel, though, has also made a decent start to his new job, wins away to Italy and at home to Turkey leaving them just a point behind France with a better goal difference. Tonight’s clash in Paris should be a belter.
Nor is it the only one we’ll be bringing you. Also in this group, Turkey visit Italy while, elsewhere, Northern Ireland host Georgia, Ukraine face Hungary, Bosnia-Herzegovina meet Poland and Romania entertain Sweden. Bring them on.
Kick-offs: 8pm BST
