Slovakia surprise Belgium with 1-0 victory at EURO 2024

Slovakia surprised Belgium with a 1-0 victory on Monday in a Group E match of the 2024 UEFA European Football Championship (EURO 2024).

Belgium wasted no time in taking the lead when striker Romelu Lukaku headed his shot from the penalty area towards Slovak goalkeeper Martin Dubravka in the third minute at the Frankfurt Arena.

Slovak striker Ivan Schranz completed Belgian goalkeeper Koen Casteels’ comeback with a shot from a narrow angle in the seventh minute to give his team the lead.

Belgian midfielder Leandro Trossard missed the chance to equalize in the 21st minute as his long-range shot towards an empty Slovak goal was off target.

Casteels made a vital save when he denied Slovak winger Lukas Haraslin’s precise long-range shot in the 40th minute.

Lukaku missed another scoring opportunity in the 41st minute while going one-on-one with Dubravka.

Lukaku scored in the 57th minute, but it was later disallowed after an inspection by the video assistant referee (VAR) due to offside.

Slovak defender David Hancko had to be treated on the sidelines after colliding with a teammate while deflecting a Belgian shot from the goal line in the 62nd minute.

Red Devils striker Lukaku scored another into the net, but it was disallowed again, this time due to a handball, in the 86th minute.

This match also marked the first European Championship match for Turkish referee Halil Umut Meler.

Slovakia are now second in the Group E standings, behind Romania, both with three points each, while Belgium sit third without points.

News.Az