[Sport] UEFA Nations League: France and Belgium to make up for the disappointment of the euro and reach the final

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France unexpectedly exited from the round of 16 of the European Cup 2020 against Switzerland
World champions France enter their Nations League semi-final against Belgium in Turin on Thursday, seeking to send a strong message following their sudden and premature exit from this summer's European Cup.

The world champions were among the most prominent candidates for the continental crown a few months ago, but they failed to show their brilliance despite including a group of the most prominent stars of the game.

Their exit from the round of 16 against Switzerland on penalties, after they were leading 3-1 15 minutes before the end of the original time, constituted a great shock and led to divisions in the ranks of the French camp.

The French newspaper, L'Equipe, published a lengthy interview on Tuesday with striker Kylian Mbappe, who missed the fifth and final penalty kick against Switzerland, which led to the roosters being excluded from the tournament, revealing that he was hoping to have "more support" following what happened.

"What shocked me, again, was that I was called a monkey because of a penalty kick," said the Paris Saint-Germain striker. "That's why I needed support, not because I hit the ball to the left and (keeper Jan) Sommer saved it."

Mbappe also revealed that he was hoping for more support from his colleagues on the field directly after he missed the kick, but central defender Raphael Varane confirmed on Tuesday that the players support each other.

"We are together when it goes well and when it goes badly," the Manchester United defender told reporters. "We take things as a group, we don't leave anyone alone. This is our philosophy and it will not change."

- 'There is no retaliation' -

The match with Belgium is a repeat of the 2018 World Cup semi-final in Russia, when the roosters beat the Red Devils with a goal without a response on their way to the title.

France entered the confrontation Thursday with an unconvincing form, after its 2-0 victory over Finland in the European qualifiers for the Qatar World Cup 2022 last month, which was the first after a series of five draws.

Brilliant center player N'Golo Kante will be absent from their ranks after he contracted the Corona virus, before the Chelsea match, which he lost against Juventus in the Champions League last week.

France coach Didier Deschamps said, "We should not underestimate the importance of this tournament, it has replaced friendly matches that were not po[CENSORED]r. We are here with a specific goal and unlike other tournaments, we are in the semi-finals now."

For its part, Belgium will look to make up for its continental disappointment on the soil of the team that knocked it out of the quarter-finals before going on and winning the title.

It is true that the men of Spanish coach Roberto Martinez have reached a more advanced stage than France in the continental championship, but the disappointment was great for the team that leads the ranking of teams in the world according to the classification of the International Federation of the game (FIFA).

Martinez considered "there is no revenge, but a desire to progress and reach the final and benefit from this great match."

Belgium's only title in its history dates back to the gold of the 1920 Olympics at home in Antwerp, while the current golden generation failed to achieve distinguished results after being satisfied with the bronze in the World Cup in Russia at the expense of England.

The match at the Allianz Stadium of Juventus, in front of 20 thousand fans, due to the Corona pandemic protocols, will witness confrontations between the most prominent players of the round ball, such as midfielders Paul Pogba and Kevin De Bruyne, strikers Karim Benzema, Romelu Lukaku, Mbappe and Eden Hazard and others.

Deschamps commented, “They have six or seven players who have played more than a hundred caps and have been with the national team for a long time. They do not top the standings for nothing. They are very organized, they have great young players and a core of experienced players which makes them one of the best teams in Europe. and the world.”

"They are a wonderful generation of players who have not yet experienced the joy of winning a title," said the former French captain, who won the World Cup in 1998 and the European Championship in 2000.