Blaise Matuidi made a timely comeback to the starting lineup from his suspension and France reaped the rewards. Deployed wide left in an unfamiliar and new role, the midfielder made his influence known on both ends of the pitch.
Despite having a fairly lesser impact going forward, Matuidi did have three attempts at goal that tested Thibaut Courtois and made a couple of key passes in the final third. His crossing was a let-down but he made up for it with his excellent defensive commitment.
Matuidi’s tracking back in defence helped cover up for fullback Lucas Hernandez, who got caught out of position at times while making his overlapping runs.
The experienced French international made six successful tackles and three interceptions throughout as well as winning a couple of aerial duels.
Blaise Matuidi’s toil and energy helped disrupt Belgium’s momentum as many of their passes were getting broken up outside the box and they were forced to restart.