Same old story but Deschamps' France march on 

It was the end of the road for a misfiring Belgium on Monday evening.

France manager Didier Deschamps following the round of 16 match at the Dusseldorf Arena. Pic: Nick Potts/PA Wire.

A classic? Never in a million years. But most certainly a classic of the Deschampian genre.

A game which you wouldn’t dream of watching again but one we’ve all seen before. In Brasilia 2014; we all saw it close up in Bordeaux in 2016; the Belgians had got a first-hand look in St. Petersburg six years ago; the absurd Bedouin tent in Al Bayt saw it too. France, with all the riches in the world, mealy-mouthing their way through another knockout phase. You don’t have to love it. You probably don’t even have to respect it. But you have to live with it.