France’s 1-0 victory over Belgium in the round of 16 on July 2 has sent them to the quarterfinals of EURO 2024. Despite having a little lead over their opponents for much of the game and producing numerous scoring opportunities, Kylian Mbappe and company were only able to win because of an own goal in the 85th minute by Jan Vertonghen.

 

 

It is important to note that following this game, people have been criticizing French captain Kylian Mbappe harshly for his celebration, which they saw as a parody of center-back Jan Vertonghen.

 

Specifically, Randal Kolo Muani scored from inside the penalty area in the 85th minute of play. Goalie Casteels was helpless as the ball unintentionally shifted course after striking Vertonghen’s foot. Mbappe went straight to Vertonghen’s place to yell, while the Belgian midfielder appeared somewhat dejected. The majority of the French players had run to the corner of the field to celebrate.

The 25-year-old striker’s behavior was viewed as somewhat immoral, dishonorable, and unprofessional—especially given that he was sporting the national team’s captain’s armband. Mbappe was urged by French supporters to abstain from pointless behavior, preserve sobriety, and uphold both the team’s and his own reputations. UEFA was also urged to look into Mbappe’s mocking behavior in several comments.

Mbappe’s actions have drawn comparisons to the contentious conduct of celebrities competing in the tournament, such Jude Bellingham and Cristiano Ronaldo. In light of this, Ronaldo yelled at player Petr Sevcik and raised his fist at Czech Republic goalie Jindrich Stanek when Portugal overcame a 2-1 deficit to win the opening group stage encounter.

In the meantime, UEFA is looking at England player Bellingham’s considerate celebration after he scored to assist his team win a thrilling 2-1 in the round of 16.

Some supporters, however, felt sorry for Mbappe’s overindulgent celebration because the striker had a lot of problems during the play against Belgium, including confrontations with Jan Vertonghen.

Most notably, Mbappe signaled for a penalty after he collapsed in the penalty area in the midst of the second half after Vertonghen had tackled him. Vertonghen responded right away, claiming that the former striker for PSG was being dramatic. After a heated dispute between the two that nearly resulted in a brawl, referee Glenn Nyberg had to step in.

France will play Portugal in the quarterfinals. Portugal is the squad that defeated Slovenia in the round of 16 that concluded early on July 2 by penalty shootout, a hard-fought triumph.