Euro 2024: Who could France face in round of 16?

Rajarshi has been part of Khel Now since 2022, and he covers world football.

Published at :June 26, 2024 at 1:06 AM

Modified at :June 26, 2024 at 1:06 AM

Les Blues finished second in Group D.

Some elite teams have already punched their tickets into the knockout stages of Euro 2024. After a 1-1 tie with the Netherlands, Kylian Mbappe and France advance to the Round of 16.

France finished second in Group D after being held to a draw in Dortmund on Tuesday by already-eliminated Poland, thanks to a Robert Lewandowski spot kick that cancelled out a Kylian Mbappe penalty.

In the 56th minute, Mbappe grabbed the opening goal, dispatching a penalty kick awarded for a careless foul on Ousmane Dembele by Jakub Kiwior.

However, Dayot Upamecano’s foul on Polish replacement Karol Swiderksi allowed Lewandowski to equalise from the spot in the 79th minute after Mike Maignan had been ruled to have advanced off his line too early on his initial attempt.

Due to the second-place finish in Group D and the draw, France will play the second-place finisher in Group E, which includes Romania, Belgium, Slovakia and Ukraine, all are on three points each.

Also read: Euro 2024: Who could Spain face in round of 16?

Who could France face in round of 16?

Although France was thought to be the favourite to win Group D, the Les Blues looked uninspired and have only managed two goals in their Group D games. They placed second in Group D and will play the second-placed side of Group E in the knockout round of Euro 2024.

With three points shared by all four teams, Group E is completely open. Ukraine, Slovakia, Belgium, and Romania are still in contention for the second place.

What happens to the group will be decided by the winner of the matches between Slovakia and Romania and Ukraine and Belgium.

In order to have an easy ride into the knockout stages, France will try to stay away from Belgium. Les Blues may face very difficult circumstances, though, but given they finished second means they will face a tough side in the knockout stage.

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Rajarshi Shukla

After earning a bachelor's degree in mass media, Rajarshi began his career as a sports writer in 2019, driven by his passion for sports journalism. He has been working in the field for over six years. A devoted fan of Lionel Messi and Barcelona, Rajarshi has been involved in sports since childhood. Before turning his focus to journalism, he even represented his college at the state level. Along with covering football, he enjoys playing the game, watching movies, and experimenting with new recipes in his spare time, as cooking is one of his favorite hobbies.