UEFA Nations League: 10-man France beat Belgium 2-1

Didier Deschamps’ French side extended their head-to-head winning run against the Red Devils of Belgium to five in Brussels on Monday despite playing with ten men with a 2-1 triumph in the UEFA Nations League Group A2.

The two sides needed a victory to stay close to the leaders of the Group – the Azurris of Italy- with the hosts taking the game by storm in the early stages.

Loïs Openda was a handful for the French defense and had two great chances around France’s six-yard box as Belgium kept asking important questions.

Their persistence was rewarded with a spot kick after a well-executed counterattack unleashed the rampant Openda, who was taken out by William Saliba before he could strike the ball.

Following a prolonged VAR review, Youri Tielemans blasted his penalty high and wide the French goal. Not too long after, Les Blues pushed their way back into the game and were also given their own penalty in the opposite box.

Bradley Barcola had successfully dribbled his way into the box when the Wout Faces elbowed the ball to halt the pacy winger. Randal Kolo Muani calmly dispatched the ball into the bottom right as France went ahead in the first half.

They were poised for a half-time win when Timothy Castagne’s cross found the head of Openda, who was waiting to head home, and restored parity for the hosts on the stroke of half-time.

Both teams came out guns blazing in the second period and continued to test each other in search of a winner. France got one after seeing an earlier Manu Koné goal removed for a Kolo Muani handball in the buildup.

But Kone wasn’t to be denied for the second time when he met Lucas Digne’s cross in the middle of the box and guided it past the Belgian goalkeeper.

Aurélien Tchouaméni’s second yellow after a cynical foul to stop Beligum’s counterattack meant that France would have to see out the game without conceding, which they eventually did as Domenico Tedesco’s side slipped five points behind the 2018 World Champions.