Both France and Belgium struggled during the group stages, failing to top groups they were expected to win. Players and managers on both sides have been eager to stress that the tournament starts now and things could still be very different.

The difficulty for these teams is that, as with Gareth Southgate’s England, it is extremely hard to start playing well after a series of underwhelming performances.

It is undeniably true that teams have started tournaments slowly and triumphed but the idea that playing badly and winning is a good sign should not obscure the fact that playing well and winning is even better. Both teams looked utterly devoid of ideas for large periods during the first half.