Belgium Advances to Knockout Stage; Ukraine Exits Euro 2024
Belgium secured a spot in the last 16 of Euro 2024 on Wednesday after a 0-0 draw with Ukraine, which saw Ukraine exiting the tournament despite all four teams in Group E finishing with four points each.
Romania topped the group, edging out Belgium by scoring more goals, following their 1-1 draw with Slovakia. Slovakia also advanced as one of the four best third-placed teams. The final whistle in Stuttgart was met with fury from Belgian supporters, with captain Kevin De Bruyne seemingly instructing his teammates to avoid acknowledging the crowd amidst growing whistles and jeers.
Belgium will face France in the next round, finding themselves on the tougher side of the draw, which includes hosts Germany, Spain, and Portugal. Ukraine’s determined campaign ended painfully, as they became the first team since the tournament expanded to 24 teams to not progress with four points.
This tournament marked the first time in European Championship history that all four teams in a group entered the final round of games with the same number of points.
Belgium made a key change with Leandro Trossard replacing the suspended Dodi Lukebakio. The team sported kits inspired by the comic book hero Tintin, featuring pale blue shirts, brown shorts, and white socks.
Ukraine, plagued by injuries, played without wingers Mykhailo Mudryk and Viktor Tsygankov, switching to a three-at-the-back formation. Oleksandr Zinchenko was dropped, and Roman Yaremchuk started after scoring the decisive goal as a substitute against Slovakia.
Ukraine Fans Honor Fallen Comrades
Ukrainian fans unveiled a poignant banner featuring the portrait of a 21-year-old soldier who died in battle last month. The image, generated by artificial intelligence, was composed using photos of 182 football fans who also perished in combat. The accompanying message read, "Peace has a price. Thousands of football fans have been killed in the war since February 2022," referring to the ongoing conflict following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
On the field, Romelu Lukaku had three goals disallowed in Belgium's first two games of the tournament and missed a crucial opportunity when he shot straight at Anatoliy Trubin after receiving a precise through ball from Kevin De Bruyne. Ukraine's Roman Yaremchuk tested Belgium's goalkeeper Koen Casteels and nearly scored if Artem Dovbyk had found him in the area after outmaneuvering Arthur Theate.
De Bruyne faced a disruptive laser pointed at his face during free-kicks, nearly scoring on one occasion as Trubin saved his attempt at the near post. Shortly after, De Bruyne had another curling shot held by Trubin, while Yaremchuk sent a dangerous pass across the Belgian area trying to connect with Dovbyk.
Lukaku saw a weak shot smothered by Trubin, who later blocked a stronger strike from Yannick Carrasco as Belgium sought the goal that would secure first place in their group. A tense moment ensued when Ruslan Malinovskyi's corner required Casteels to frantically clear the ball at his near post, with Belgium aware that conceding a goal could be disastrous.
Johan Bakayoko curled a shot wide for Belgium, and Malinovskyi's powerful drive was blocked by Timothy Castagne. In stoppage time, Georgiy Sudakov was unable to find a way past Casteels, bringing Ukraine's emotional campaign to a close.
