Surprise Defeat and Match Highlights
Belgium faced an unexpected setback in their Euro 2024 campaign with a 1-0 defeat to Slovakia, marking the first major upset of the tournament. Ivan Schranz capitalized on a mistake by Jeremy Doku to score in the seventh minute in Frankfurt. Despite Romelu Lukaku finding the net twice for Belgium, both goals were disallowed by VAR, one for offside and the other for a contentious handball in the buildup.
Post-Match Reactions and De Bruyne’s Frustration
Belgium, once considered among the top contenders, were anticipated to dominate Group E, which also includes Romania and Ukraine. Earlier, Romania had defeated Ukraine 3-0, further complicating the group’s dynamics.
Kevin De Bruyne, Belgium’s captain, was visibly frustrated after the match. Initially, he answered several questions in his native language and French. However, when an English-speaking reporter requested a comment, De Bruyne abruptly ended the interviews, expressing his discontent with a look of confusion and walking away from the media.
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De Bruyne’s Brief Comments
Before leaving, De Bruyne shared his thoughts on the game, highlighting the team’s early dominance and subsequent struggle after conceding the goal. “It’s a shame. We played well for the first 20 minutes and then we made a mistake that was punished. Then it took us a while to get back into the game. In the second half we improved. We would have deserved to win, we arrived, there were two goals disallowed, but we couldn’t score and that’s football.”
Looking Ahead
Belgium will need to regroup and refocus as they prepare for their next Group E match against Romania on Saturday night. With their campaign now under pressure, De Bruyne and his teammates must find a way to bounce back and secure a crucial victory to keep their Euro 2024 hopes alive.