In tournament play like Euro 2024, bigger teams are bound to struggle in select games, and Slovakia against Belgium proved that. Belgium, which sits third in the FIFA World Rankings, fell to Slovakia, one of the lowest-ranked teams in the tournament. A one-goal victory for Slovakia ensured it started play in Group E of Euro 2024 with one of the biggest shock results in the tournament’s history.
This was not an instance of a game that Belgium outwardly dominated. Yes, the Belgians had more possession and shots, but the disparity between the two sides was not overwhelming. As is often the case in these types of games, one mistake can be the difference. One error was enough for Slovakia to score. Then, the Slovaks protected their lead brilliantly.
Sloppy play at the back from Belgium started with a misplayed pass from Jeremy Doku. Slovakia set up Róbert Boženík with a close-range shot that Belgium goalkeeper Koen Casteels did well to parry away. Unfortunately for him, that save fell straight to Ivan Schranz, who guided the ball past a desperate Casteels. Even though this goal came seven minutes into the contest, it was against the run of play. Belgium had two great chances early on that it failed to cash in on.
Later in the first half, Slovakia had a terrific opportunity to double its advantage. An outstretched Belgium defense was exposed down the right wing, and Lukáš Haraslín took a volley on first time from 17 yards away. Casteels made a sensational stop to keep it a one-goal game.
VAR aids Slovakia twice in win over Belgium
Belgium would not help its goalkeeper with a goal on Monday, though. On two occasions, Belgium had the ball in the Slovakia net. Ten minutes after the restart, Romelu Lukaku thought he scored from close range, but VAR deemed him to be a shoulder offside on a cross.
In the 86th minute, there looked to be no doubt of a Belgium equalizer. Luis Openda made a deep run behind the Slovakia defense. He eventually…
Source link : https://worldsoccertalk.com/uefa-euro/slovakia-pulls-off-biggest-upset-in-euros-history-against-belgium/
Author : Kyle Fansler
Publish date : 2024-06-17 19:17:09
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