The Belgians are not resentful. Long punished for their bad faith after the 2018 World Cup semifinal lost by France (1-0), the Red Devils qualified their neighbor in the round of 16. The victory against Finland (0-2) allows the Blues to be sure of finishing in the worst case in the best four thirds of the six competing groups.

Third in their groups with three points, the Austrians (group C) and the Finns (group B) will surely finish behind the Blues in the best third ranking, even in the event of a catastrophic scenario for Didier Deschamps’s men against Portugal. Wednesday June 23rd. Monday’s results also allowed England, Sweden, Switzerland and the Czech Republic to also validate their tickets for the knockout stages of the European Championship.

Several possible scenarios in eighths

With Ousmane Dembélé’s package for the rest of the competitionFrance has every interest in avoiding an eighth declaration. The victory against Portugal on Wednesday 23 June – and the first place of Group F – would allow the Blues to face a supposedly more affordable rival: Switzerland, Ukraine or Finland. If France finishes second, they could face rivals like England or the Czech Republic.

Finally, the worst case scenario would be a third place, synonymous with an inevitable clash against Belgium or the Netherlands, both authors of a clear round with three wins in three group stage matches. In short, so much to say that the signs of relaxation seen against Hungary could have serious consequences for Didier Deschamps’ players.