We imagined this Belgium-Romania as a turning point. From the group, obviously after the initial defeat against Slovakia, but also from the tournament. A victory could remove a huge weight from the team and allow a more relaxed continuation, ideal for releasing the offensive potential of the Devils. The Belgians won on Saturday evening in Cologne but their Euro has not yet been launched, despite virtual second place.
There are too many questions left after these ninety minutes against Romania. Questions behind and questions ahead. Wednesday against Ukraine in Stuttgart, we will only have to think about qualifying. Projecting further into the tournament still makes no sense, even if we don’t have the slightest idea of when we will have to pack our bags.
Belgium–Romania: Dodi Lukebakio, high tempo and successful premiere
Lukaku’s assist will not yet be enough to erase the nightmare
As against the Slovaks, the Devils had a lot of chances. Which should be reassuring, but the waste was too great to dare to make fun of the undeniable qualities of the Belgian attackers. Doku dribbled a lot, De Bruyne hit a lot, Lukebakio provoked a lot and Lukaku weighed a lot. But the nets only shook twice, including the second time ten minutes from the end when the Romanians discovered themselves and the supporters arrived at the finger after eating the entire nail.
There is of course an element of bad luck. We can also write that Lukaku would be top scorer in the Euro if Var did not exist. The offside which deprived him of a liberating goal was even smaller than last Monday but the rule applies to everyone. The official Tedesco finisher will still have to wait to clear his head and definitively forget the Croatian nightmare of the 2022 World Cup. The pivot back to Tielemans who transformed into an assist for Tielemans after 73 seconds will not be enough.
The Devils under the microscope: Casteels the savior, Lukaku the unlucky one, Tielemans and De Bruyne the liberators
Behind, Belgium reigned under the eyes of Our Sovereign in Cologne. The Devils offered several gifts that the Romanians, too weak, never managed to open. Onana, twice, and Faes made mistakes that the theoretical level of a Euro always punishes as a general rule. The move to 24 qualifiers may have changed the idea but it is only temporary. In the round of 16, the opponent would have scored once or twice on Saturday, despite Casteels being present for two vital saves.
A great Tielemans, a great pressing but one less day of rest
The analysis may seem harsh but the Devils leave us between two feelings after this first success in a major tournament since Canada, four matches ago already. We must not forget all the good things seen in Cologne, such as the excellent game of Tielemans, royal in the recovery, essential in the construction and decisive in the finish for his 69th cap. His lightning-fast goal sent the country into ecstasy. The Belgian pressing was also much more impactful than against Slovakia, with de Bruyne and Doku very applied.
Belgium-Romania: the huge save from Casteels who catches a huge ball from Onana (VIDEO)
This Belgium of 2024 makes you want to be seen but we do not know to what extent, nor to what stage of the tournament. The only concern between now and Wednesday will be to refocus and continue to work on the weak points of this young team, even if the returns of Vertonghen and Theate were already a first step. At the Mercedes Benz Arena, we shouldn’t look too good against the Ukrainians who are also revived, and who will have benefited from an extra day of rest. Which must be mentioned given the energy left by the Devils on the Cologne pitch.
