Squawka
·26 June 2024
Squawka
·26 June 2024
Belgium will be disappointed with their performances at Euro 2024 this far as they managed to finish in just second place behind Romania in Group E.
After a dull draw with Ukraine in their opening game, Belgium now know that neighbours France await them in the Round of 16.
The Red Devils tasted defeat under new manager Domenico Tedesco for the first time since his arrival in February 2023 when they lost their opening game of the tournament to Slovakia – the biggest shock in Euros history as far as the FIFA World Rankings are concerned.
They recovered on Matchday Two to turn in a professional performance and beat Romania 2-0 thanks to goals from Youri Tielemans and Kevin de Bruyne, before a dour 0-0 with Ukraine in their final game was enough to secure qualification, although not in the most encouraging circumstances.
In one of the biggest shocks in European Championship history, Belgium got their 2024 campaign off to a woeful start by losing to Slovakia at Waldstadion on Frankfurt. Ivan Schranz’s early goal was enough for the Falcons as Romelu Lukaku had not one, but two goals ruled out for offside after input from the Video Assistant Referee.
The second game of the group represented something of a return to form for Belgium as they turned in a more professional display against Romania. An early goal from Youri Tielemans was eventually added to by Kevin de Bruyne to secure a 2-0 win and leave qualification in their hands heading into Matchday Three.
Belgium didn’t push too hard to try and beat Ukraine in Stuttgart, knowing that a draw would be enough for them to qualify in second place if Slovakia and Romania played out a draw, as they did. The Yellow-Blue had a handful of chances but were not able to convert them and in the end the Red Devils got the job done in a less than convincing fashion.
Now, Belgium will take on the team that dumped them out of the World Cup in 2018 at the semi-final stage as they take on France at the Merkur-Spiel Arena in Dusseldorf. Given that both of these teams will have expected to top their groups, they’ll be disappointed with their performances so far leading to this early clash between two heavyweights. Belgium undoubtedly have their work cut out if they’re to reach the final eight.