Saliba Mbappe France GFXGetty/GOAL

France player ratings vs Belgium: William Saliba delivers a defensive masterclass but Les Bleus' forwards misfire again in fortunate Euro 2024 victory

France are still standing - and still a serious contender to win Euro 2024. Once again, they were nowhere near their best in Monday's 1-0 over an abysmal Belgium side in Dusseldorf - but Les Bleus made the most of a huge slice of luck and a defensive masterclass from William Saliba to deservedly progress to the quarter-finals.

For all of the - often-justified - criticism of Didier Deschamps and his innate pragmatism, France showed the far greater ambition throughout this dour contest, with Kylian Mbappe a constant threat with his wonderful dribbling skills.

Unfortunately for them, their best chances they fashioned fell to the terribly wasteful Marcus Thuram, who will surely be dropped after this latest shocker. Indeed, it would be a huge surprise if his replacement, Randal Kolo Muani, does not start in the last eight, where France will meet either Portugal or Slovenia, as it was the Paris Saint-Germain forward's shot that Jan Vertonghen deflected into his own net with just five minutes of normal time remaining.

Below, GOAL rates all of the France players on show as the pre-tournament favourites finally found a way to break down Belgium...

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