The choices made by Domenico Tedesco have paid off. The switch to 3-4-3 and the four changes to the starting lineup greatly contributed to the success obtained by Belgium against Romania (2-0) this Saturday. First scorer of the evening, Youri Tielemans justified his reintegration into the heart of the game with a goal as important as it was well constructed collectively (2nd). Rennais Arthur Theate and veteran Jan Vertonghen stabilized a three-way defense still looking for bearings.
Feverish defensively in sequences, the Red Devils erased their failed entry into contention against Slovakia (0-1) on Monday. Returning to second place in Group E (tied on points with Romania, at the top), they are back in the race to qualify for the round of 16, before facing Ukraine on Wednesday (6 p.m.).
The match: 2-0
Preferred to Lyonnais Orel Mangala in front of the defense, Tielemans was at the origin and finish of the Belgian opening score. Found by the Aston Villa midfielder, Jérémy Doku fixed the Romanian defense and served Romelu Lukaku as a pivot, who placed himself on Tielemans. His powerful shot from the edge of the area deceived the Romanian goalkeeper Florin Nita.
73
With his goal scored after just 73 seconds of play, Youri Tielemans scored the fastest goal in the history of Belgium in a major tournament.
Romania timidly tried to react, with a header from Radu Dragusin boxed out for a corner by Koen Casteels (5th). The only Romanian danger in a first period largely dominated by the Red Devils, still lacking finishing skill. Neither Lukaku (13th), nor Dodi Lukebakio (18th), nor Doku (31st) were able to double the lead despite very favorable situations.
Rather disappointing since the start of the Euro, Kevin De Bruyne raised the tone during the second act. The Belgian playing master increased his personal attempts (52nd, 55th) and delivered several good balls to Doku then Lukaku, without success. Served precisely by “KDB”, the AS Roma striker was denied his third goal for offside since the start of the Euro (63rd).
If Casteels (68th) and Timothy Castagne (85th) each made up for a miss – the first by Theate, the second Wout Faes – the salvation came from De Bruyne, him again. One of the rare times when luck smiled on the Belgians, the captain perfectly exploited an error of judgment from the Romanian defense and resisted pressure from Dragusin to double the lead (2-0, 80th). Finally.
The player: Jérémy Doku had the devil in his body
Rather interesting on Monday despite his recovery error leading to the Slovak goal, Doku this time fully started his Euro. A symbol of newfound inspiration, the Manchester City winger put poor Andrei Ratiu through an ordeal during the 72 minutes he spent on the pitch. Untenable, the ex-Rennais constantly brought danger to his left wing, the side where he prefers to play.
It was he who served Lukaku as a pivot on Tielemans’ goal (2nd). He regularly took advantage of his speed and the imposing size of his center forward to penetrate the Romanian area. His shot from a tight angle almost surprised Nita (31st), but like his cross to Lukaku (52nd), he always lacked a bit of precision to double the lead. His decline after the hour mark logically led to his replacement by Yannick Ferreira Carrasco.
