Euro 2024: Belgium shocked, desperate to win against boosted Romania

COLOGNE, Germany (AP) — Belgium faces Romania on Saturday after suffering the biggest shock of the European Championship so far by losing its Group E opener to Slovakia. The world No. 3 ranked team lost 1-0 and ended a 14-game unbeaten streak. Romania beat Ukraine 3-0 in their opening match to top the group. Kick-off will take place at 9:00 p.m. local time (7:00 p.m. GMT) in Cologne. Here’s what you need to know about the match:

Matching Facts

— Romania will advance to the round of 16 by beating Belgium. A draw is also likely to move them forward, with no team having failed to qualify for the knockout stages of the Euros with four points.

— Belgium’s shock defeat likely brought back bad memories of the 2022 World Cup, when they were eliminated in the group stage in Qatar, despite entering the tournament ranked second in the world.

— Romania’s victory against Ukraine was the first at a Euro in 24 years.

— Romelu Lukaku was the top scorer in the Euro qualifiers with 14 goals, ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo (10), Kylian Mbappe (9) and Harry Kane (8). But he suffered a frustrating match against Slovakia due to two goals being ruled out by VAR.

— Nicolae Stanciu stood out in Romania’s victory against Ukraine and scored one of the goals of the tournament with a long-range strike. He also almost scored directly from a corner that hit the bar.

Team News

— Romania has not reported any injury concerns.

— Belgian Axel Witsel, who missed the first match against Slovakia, did not travel with the team to Cologne due to feeling unwell in training. He will undergo scans to determine his condition, but coach Domenico Tedesco hopes his tournament is not over. Jan Vertonghen could be in line to play.

In numbers

— Lukaku is Belgium’s all-time top scorer with 85 goals. His 14 goals in qualifying set a new record for the European Championship.

— Romania’s 3-0 victory against Ukraine was the most important ever won at a Euro.

— The loss to Slovakia was Belgium’s first defeat under coach Domenico Tedesco, who took over after the last World Cup and won 10 of his 15 matches in charge.

What they say

— “Rewatching the (Slovakia) match several times, I am convinced that we played well. If we score the first goal, many things are easier. — Belgian coach Domenico Tedesco.

— “They are the No. 3 team in the world with great players and they really need a result. For us, these are incredible experiences. … Our opponents are incredible, they had four or five big chances to score in their last game, but we are going there to win it. — Romania coach Edward Iordanescu.

— “Yes, we had a lot of chances to score in the last match. But we still have a lot to do against Romania. If we can add some finishing touches with a little more intensity, I think we can get a good result. — Belgian defender Wout Faes.

— “It’s a difficult match, totally different from the first. However, we have courage, we have confidence in ourselves and we know what we can do. ” — Romanian midfielder Ianis Hagi.

___

AP Euro 2024: https://apnews.com/hub/euro-2024

James Robson, Associated Press