Belgium came into their game with Romania on Saturday as the only team yet to score at Euro 2024, but they fixed that particular issue after only 73 seconds, with Youri Tielemans scoring his nation’s quickest goal at a major tournament.
Domenico Tedesco’s side dominated the remainder of the first half, but they couldn’t add the second their pressure deserved. For their part, Romania improved significantly after the break, but an entertaining game was sealed when Kevin De Bruyne latched onto a long kick from Belgian goalkeeper Koen Casteels to make it 2-0.
It leaves all four teams in Group E on three points and sets up a tantalising pair of matches on Wednesday afternoon.
Oliver Kay and Michael Cox analyse the key moments from the game.
Romelu Lukaku is yet to score at Euro 2024: two games, no goals, just like at the 2022 World Cup.
But this feels very different. In Qatar, he looked out of sorts and out of condition, rushed back from injury in an unsuccessful attempt to rescue Belgium’s miserable campaign. Here, he looks sharp. He has done everything but score.
Against Slovakia last Monday, he had two goals disallowed: one for offside, one for a handball by Lois Openda. He had another one ruled out against Romania, judged to be fractionally offside as he raced onto Kevin De Bruyne’s slide-rule pass. It was close enough — a toe’s length — for Belgium’s supporters to howl in indignation when the automated-offside image was flashed up on the big screen.
No goals for Lukaku, then, but he set up the opener for Tielemans and was a constant threat to the Romania defence. With a little more luck, he would be well on course for the Golden Boot by now. But on this evidence, the goals will come.
(Jeroen van den Berg/Soccrates/Getty Images)
Oliver Kay
Has Tedesco found an effective combination up top?
Domenico Tedesco shuffled his pack for this game, making a change in defence, a change in midfield, and a change in attack. It was the new forward section of the side that looked most interesting. Leandro Trossard went out and in came Dodi Lukebakio, one of Belgium’s star performers in qualifying.
This gave Belgium two proper dribblers out wide. Down the right, Lukebakio moved inside into the channel at times to allow Timothy Castagne space to overlap, but at other times beat his full-back on the outside. On the left, Jeremy Doku was also in electric form, beating opponents repeatedly and then bamboozling Andrei Ratiu, who seemed unsure whether Doku was going to go on his left or his right.
Belgium’s Lukebakio on the move (Alberto Pizzoli/AFP via Getty Images)
As often seems the case, Doku didn’t always seem to know himself. But this was an exciting, dynamic approach down the flanks, a little reminiscent of the way Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal played in Spain’s 1-0 win over Italy.
In the first half, Lukebakio and Doku attempted five dribbles each. They weren’t always successful, but their willingness to go beyond opponents meant Belgium offered a seriously direct threat and their width also created room for De Bruyne to drift into laterally. A booking means Lukebakio will be suspended for Belgium’s final group game, but this should be the team’s attacking quartet when all four players are available.
Michael Cox
Romania can take positives
By pretty much every measure, Romania were outclassed. Belgium led from the second minute and it is no exaggeration to say that, with better finishing and a little more luck, this could have ended up 4-0 or 5-0.
But Romania played with a certain spirit and vivacity throughout. Yes, it was a reality check after their first game, an uplifting 3-0 victory over Ukraine, but, driven on by Razvan Marin and roared on by their yellow-clad supporters, they never looked out of it until De Bruyne scored Belgium’s second goal. Even then, they kept threatening.
(Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
Even after defeat here and with all four teams stuck on three points, a draw against Slovakia would take them through regardless of what happens elsewhere. That would make this, at a minimum, their best tournament performance since Euro 2000 and the days of Dan Petrescu, Gheorghe Popescu and the incomparable Gheorghe Hagi.
Oliver Kay
Could Group E end with the semi-mythical 4-4-4-4 outcome?
In Group E, Romania and Slovakia won their opening matches of the tournament, while Belgium and Ukraine won the second group matches. That leaves us with a somewhat unusual points situation going into the final round of group games: 3-3-3-3.
It’s not inconceivable that the four sides in this group could all finish on four points. That’s rare, although not unprecedented — it happened at World Cup 1994, also in Group E, involving Mexico, Norway, the Republic of Ireland and eventual finalists Italy.
The curious thing is that, on the basis of the previous two 24-team European Championships, at least one side will probably progress as one of the best third-placed sides on just three points. Yet two draws in the last match of Group E would see a side on four points being eliminated. It remains an outside shot, but it would be another strange feature of a slightly imperfect tournament format.
Michael Cox
What next for Belgium?
Wednesday, June 26: vs Ukraine, Stuttgart, 5pm UK, noon ET
What next for Romania?
Wednesday, June 26: vs Slovakia, Frankfurt, 5pm UK, noon ET
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(Top photo: Getty Images)
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