The Belgian duo of Thibaut Courtois and Eden Hazard have hit out at France following Belgium’s 1-0 World Cup semi-final loss to France on Tuesday.

“France heads a corner and does nothing more than defend,” Courtois said. “I would have preferred to have lost in the quarter-finals to Brazil, at least that was a team that wanted to play football. [France] are just an anti-football team.”

Defender Samuel Umtiti scored the winning goal for the 1998 champions in the second half with a towering header from Antoine Griezmann's corner. Didier Deschamps' side were on the back foot for large periods of the game, but emerged victorious to reach their third final, having been beaten by Italy on penalties in 2006.

Hazard too was less than impressed with Les Bleus. He said: “I prefer to lose with this Belgium than win with this France. But they do defend strongly and are very efficient. We have not found their weak point. That little moment of magic needed to score was not there.”

France now awaits the winners of the other semi-final between Croatia and England for a chance to lift the most coveted trophy in international football.