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Key events
“Is it childish to hope for that Belgium qualify from the group only to be able to face another team playing in red and have to wear their Tintin armband?’ asks David Wall.
No.
Half time: Belgium 1-0 Romania
It was a very good half of football in Cologne. Belgium will be irritated by the fact that they only have a one goal lead. Romania have defended well and are certainly still at it.
45 minutes: Burka heads in for a corner and looks upset with himself for the miss.
One minute added.
“Belgium cannot afford to relax” Krishna insists. “Romania’s reserves include Puskas and Hagi.”
Unfortunately, they are not clones.
44 minutes: De Bruyne receives a pass from Lukebacchio just inside the box. He takes aim but the shot is too weak and Nita swallows it.
42 minutes: “Lukaku isn’t great anymore, is he?” suggests Alex Gemmell. “It looks like they’re using him as a statue to play with, but he was weak in the first game and looks limited again here.”
Holds the ball decently but doesn’t look clinical when given the chance.
40 minutes: Faes tries to hold off Dragus as he tries to reach a cross, the defender doesn’t do his job perfectly, giving the Romanian a chance, but Castells gets it under control just in time.
“Romania’s number 20 looks a shrewd player,” says Peter O. “If I was Belgium protector, I would do my best to stick to the Man.”
38 minutes: The man decides passing isn’t the future and the next time he gets the ball he bursts in from the right and curls a left-footed shot into the bottom corner, but Castells is equal.
At the other end, Onana sends Lukebakio through, but Romania’s defenders chase him down, winning the ball back into the box before he can shoot. However, Belgium win a corner. This leads to nothing.
36 mins: YELLOW CARD! Lukebacchio will be eliminated from the final group game after a cynical challenge against Dragus.
Romania produced their best move of the game, but it ended when Mann’s pass failed to find a team-mate in the box. At least some promising signs.
34 minutes: That’s very peak De Bruyne out there tonight. He wants the ball at every opportunity and his feet are dazzling in yellow. He is still the key man for his country.
That is all Belgium still and Lukebacchio is the last to have a chance but his effort from 18 yards is deflected.
32 minutes: This time, Doku was able to shoot after fooling Razvan Marin in the box before aiming at the near post, but Nita dealt with it.
30 minutes: Belgium they seem very confident. A good team move gives Doku a sense of a chance, but Ratiu holds his ground and ensures that the corner is the only damage.
28 minutes: Marius Marin brings down De Bruyne midway through the game Romania half. I think the Romanian midfielder may need a plan B if he wants to stay on the field.
26 minutes: There is some delay Mihaila is being treated for some unknown injury, but it seems like a clever ploy to get a break in the game to me.
“I think if they can keep up that defensive display Romania it’s worth getting an Italian-style equalizer against the run of play.” suggests Joshua Reynolds.
24 minutes: Belgian again reaches the penalty area. Doku gets into a very dangerous position six yards from goal but is held up by the defence.
De Bruyne is next to try his luck, but his cross is turned away for a corner. The man from Manchester City goes to get him but Nita knocks him out of the sky.
Romania break through through Mihaila, who enters the box but struggles to get the ball out of his feet. He goes down and looks for a penalty but nothing happens. Belgium eventually get a free kick.
22 minutes: Romania take a corner on the left. They have looked dangerous from standard positions so far. This one is off the practice field, but it doesn’t really work, ending with a wayward kick from Michael.
20 minutes: A well-taken corner creates a good opportunity for Vertonghen, but he fires wide from 10 yards.
Tielemans fell after being caught in the back of the head. It doesn’t look serious. To get back, he takes down Razvan Marin seconds later.
18 minutes: Lukebacchio is blocked by Marius Marin, who is lucky to escape without a yellow card. I’m not sure Romania has a plan to stop the wings legally.
Romania struggle to clear a cross, eventually sending the ball to Onana on the edge of the box, but his shot is weak.
WHAT A SAVING! De Bruyne shows his class to break through the Romanian defense before picking out Lukebakio on the right. He steps in and takes aim, forcing a big stop on Nita’s right.
16 minutes: Lukebakio and Doku are the liveliest duos on the wings in this tournament. They will turn people inside and out for a while.
14 minutes: Lukaku receives Doku’s pass about eight yards from goal, he turns and shoots, but a last-ditch effort sends the ball back into the corner. It should be 2-0.
“I always chose Romania over England in internationals as a child as they were underdogs and my English father was **well while my Romanian mother is very excellent” says Paul Kuriewicz. “1998 and 2000 were great games but 2000 was the first tournament I was big enough to watch in a pub and in retrospect it would have been wise to keep a lower profile.”
Welcome to my daughter’s world.
12 minutes: Belgium are in control of the game now, holding the ball with relative ease and looking to find a gap in the yellow wall in front of them. Romania they know they will have to work hard to stay in it.
Doku tries to fool the full-back but he holds back, forcing him to pass back to Tielemans, whose 20-yard shot is blocked.
10 minutes: Neither side offered an inch. Lukebacchio is brought down near the touchline but nothing is given, although it is definitely a foul. He gets up cautiously and looks good to continue.
8 minutes: Everyone is looking for that. De Bruyne chases a ball over the top but Nita gets to it first and is tackled by the Belgian for good measure. Everything ends amicably.
6 minutes: It was a lively start.
“Is it fair to compare two sets of Red Devils?” asks Charles Antaki. “One is a team with an insanely disappointing recent record, burdened by history, with one or two stars who flicker rather than shine, and who look with envy at their flashier and more successful neighbours. The other is, of course, the Belgian national team.
4 minutes: The Romanians in the audience are very much up for it and the players know they need an answer. They win a corner from the right. It’s well handled and ends up coming into the box from the opposite flank, allowing Draguzin to head goalwards, only to see Castells raise a hand to tip over.
GOAL! Belgium have scored a goal in a major tournament. Belgium start with great intensity and look dangerous from the start. Doku passes the ball to Lukaku, who holds it and leaves it to Tielemans, who scores from 18 yards. Belgium is up and running.
GOAL! Belgium 1-0 Romania (Thielemans, 2)
Clean shot from the edge of the box.
Start
Peep! Peep! Peep! Here we are!
Red against yellow is a magnificent sight on the field. I’m all for the kits.
“I remember the Romanian connection probably from the last Euro”, Krishna says. “One of my friends Bogdan, who currently lives in Belgium, was at the pitch today and I said to him ‘I hope you don’t lose by more than 2 goals’ and he joked ‘I’m the winner whoever wins.’
Everyone is very eager to state this Belgium have not scored a goal in their last three matches at major tournaments. Will that change tonight?
I wrote about Doku a while back, including some insights from his Belgian youth coach.
“What are you trying to do, stir up a regional conflict?” asks Joe Pearson. “The hat fan of Belgian fries is clearly attacking the French gastronomic hegemony. I hope this does not mean a wider conflict.
“Also, did the lady write you a preamble since she said your Romanian was ‘terrible’.”
Belgium will have to get out of the group before there is a clash with France. Who knows who wrote it?
Big Ange is also on ITV. What a win for the boys.
I think Ange Postecoglou speaks very well here
— Adam Hurry (@FootballCliches) June 22, 2024
As my daughter is half Romanian she was offered the opportunity to choose who she wanted to support this tournament and she chose Romania over England. Will it pay off?
Some pre-match reading from the Guardian’s Karen Carney for England. I’m sure she’s about to do some expertise in this match.
Starting lineups
Belgium (4-2-3-1): Castells; Castan, Faes, Vertonghen, Theate; Thielemans, Onana; Lukebakio, De Bruyne, Doku, Lukaku
Subs: Kaminski, Sells, Debuts, Trossard, Carrasco, Vranks, De Ketelaere, Mangala, Openda, Vermeeren, De Kuyper
Romania (4-1-4-1): Nita; Ratiu, Dragusin, Burca, Bancu; M Marin; Mann, R Marin, Stanciu, Michael; Dragus
subtitles: Moldovan, Tarnovanu, Rus, Nedelcearu, Alibec, Cicaldau, Pușcaș, Hagi, Olaru, Coman, Magos, Sorescu, Racovitan, Birligea, Sut
Referee: Shimon Marciniak
There will be around 25,000 Romanians in the stands in Cologne, bringing a sea of yellow. However, the Belgians will not be left behind.
Learn a little more about the new era of football at Romania with your and my friend Nick Ames.
Preamble
These two sides held on and enjoyed a surprising opening round of fixtures as Belgium were beaten by Slovakia while Romania delivered a shocking 3-0 loss to Ukraine. Despite their contrasting efforts last time out, everyone expects the Belgians to walk away from Cologne with three points and their Euro campaign to continue.
However, football is not always that easy and Romania will feel a bit of weakness in the Red Devils. They will be very confident and eager to cause a second upset.
Kevin De Bruyne and co may claim to be a little jaded from a season of club success, but they have never lived up to the hype at international level. It looks like the days of the golden generation are over and we wait to see if this group can get in the way in the final stages.
Au trect de mult zielle lui Gheorghe Hagi si Gheorghe Popescu. Echipa Romaniai are a new generation of players who care about the hope for the next stage. Hello Romania!
Here’s to a cracker.
Kick off at 20:00 BST
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