The hosts fielded an eleven without any members of their renowned golden generation, and they looked better in the first few minutes thanks to a quick and spirited start. Of the two keepers, Mike Maignan was the busier. when Saliba’s challenge on Openda, it appeared as though play would resume; however, the referee directed to the spot when VAR reviewed the situation. Youri Tielemens took the spot kick, but he messed it badly, sending his kick flying over the crossbar.
After gaining momentum, France was given their own penalty on the thirty-third minute after Wout Faes was ruled to have handled in the box. Randal Kolo Muani of PSG advanced to score the penalty kick. Belgium took a moment to collect themselves, but just before halftime, Lois Openda headed home a cross from Timothy Castagne into the penalty box. The second half continued in a similarly amusing manner. Manu Kone seemed to have given France the lead with a calm finish, but the goal was disallowed for an earlier handball after another drawn-out VAR review. Soon after, Kolo Muani scored his second goal thanks to a fantastic pass from Lucas Digne.
After receiving a second yellow card, Aurelian Tchouameni was sent off for France, but they managed to hold on and defeat their opponents.
