- Article Summary: Belgium suffered their first defeat after the FIFA World Cup 2022. In their latest 15-match unbeaten streak for one-and-a-half-year, Belgium beat the hosts Germany and drew against the hosts England.
Since their FIFA World Cup 2022
exit, Belgium have played strong football, as they were unbeaten in straight 15
games before the beginning of the UEFA Euro 2024. However, in their Euro 2024
opener against Slovakia in the Group E contest, Belgium suffered a shocking 1-0
defeat.
In the FIFA World Cup 2022 in
Qatar, Belgium surprisingly ended their campaign in the group stage as they
couldn’t qualify for the knockout stage. It resulted in the exit of Spanish
manager Roberto Martínez and the joining of head coach Domenico Tedesco in
February 2023.
Belgium Dream Run: A 15-match unbeaten streak
(Beat Germany for the first time since 1954)
Since the joining of Tedesco,
Belgium have quickly adapted his style and started to dominate on the field.
His team started with a 3-0 away win against Sweden in their opening game of
the Euro 2024 qualifiers and a 3-2 away victory against Germany in a friendly
game. It was the first time Belgium had beaten Germany since 1954.
In the Euro 2024 qualifiers, Belgium faced Austria, Sweden, Azerbaijan, and Estonia in Group F. At the end of the group stage, the Red Devils qualified for Euro 2024 by finishing as the Group F champions with 20 points after eight games (six wins and two draws). During the Euro 2024 qualifiers, Belgium scored 22 goals and conceded only four.
(Drew against the hosts England)
Last March, Belgium faced the
hosts, the Republic of Ireland and England. Both their away matches ended in
draws. Before the start of the Euro 2024 campaign, the Red Devils beat
Montenegro and Luxembourg at home early this month.
Before the beginning of the Euro
2024, Belgium recorded ten wins and four draws under Domenico Tedesco. Belgium
were 15-match unbeaten (ten wins and five draws) ahead of their first Euro 2024
schedule.
Euro 2024: Unlucky start for Belgium
However, the Belgium dream fell
short in their first challenge in the Euro 2024. On Monday (17 June), they
started their Group E campaign against Slovakia. The Falcons battled hard to
secure a shocking 1-0 victory in that game at Frankfurt.
While Ivan Schranz scored the
opening goal of the match for Slovakia in the 7th minute, both teams fought
hard to add more goals in the match. Belgium had some great chances throughout
the match but failed to grab those big opportunities.
Belgium’s all-time leading
goalscorer, Romelu Lukaku, who scored the most goals in the Euro 2024
qualifiers with 14 goals, netted twice against Slovakia in the second half.
However, VAR denied both those goals, one for the offside and the other for a
handball offence. While Lukaku’s first goal was overturned just before the hour
mark, the VAR denied his next goal in the crucial 88th minute.
So, Slovakia now have a dream start
with a 1-0 win against third-ranked Belgium. Romania and Ukraine are the other
two competitors of Belgium in the group, as both their next two fixtures are
now equally important for the Red Devils to qualify for the knockout stages.
Before the Belgium vs Slovakia
match, Romania started their Euro 2024 campaign with a 3-0 win against Ukraine.
