Belgium’s road to the EURO 2024 knockout rounds was far from smooth, as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Ukraine in their final group stage match at the MHP Arena on Wednesday, June 26th.
The result means the Red Devils finish second in Group E behind Romania and will now face the 2022 World Cup runners-up France in the Round of 16.
It was a frustrating evening for Roberto Martínez’s side, who struggled to break down a resilient Ukraine defence throughout the match in Stuttgart.
Belgium dominated possession and territory but lacked the killer instinct to find a winner against a side that needed to win to have any chance of progressing.
The best chance of the first half fell to Romelu Lukaku, who was played in by a sublime pass from Kevin De Bruyne, but the striker was unable to finish, his tame shot easily saved by Anatoliy Trubin in the Ukraine goal.
At the other end, Ukraine created a few half-chances of their own, with Georgiy Sudakov and Roman Yaremchuk both going close, but Koen Casteels was equal to their efforts.
The second half followed a similar pattern, with Belgium enjoying plenty of the ball but struggling to carve out clear-cut openings. Yannick Carrasco threatened to break the deadlock when he burst through on goal, but his final shot was blocked.
As Ukraine pushed for a goal that would keep their tournament hopes alive, they left spaces at the back, and Casteels was forced into a good save to deny Ruslan Malinovskyi late on.
But in the end, neither side could find a winner, and the match finished goalless. The result means that Belgium finish second in the group on goal difference, behind Romania, who drew 1-1 with Slovakia.
That sets up a mouthwatering clash with France in the last 16, a repeat of the 2018 World Cup semi-final. The match will take place at the Dusseldorf Arena on Monday, July 1st, starting at 7 pm.
Roberto Martínez will know his side will need to be much improved if they are to progress to the quarter-finals. The Red Devils were distinctly average throughout the group stage and will need a big improvement if they are to go deep in this tournament.
For Ukraine, their EURO 2024 campaign ended in disappointment, as they became the first team to exit the expanded European Championship at the group stage despite picking up four points.
Their heavy 4-1 defeat to Romania on the opening day ultimately proved costly, as they were eliminated on goal difference.
