Romelu Lukaku his back was turned not only to the goal, but also to the shrieking red mass behind it. From somewhere in that crowd, a cloud of red smoke rose toward the stadium roof. It could well have been a warning to Romania, but just a minute after this critical moment Euro 2024 confrontation, they didn’t have time to pay attention.
Lukaku, so often maligned for his efforts with Belgium, executed his strike perfectly, removing Andrei Burca and cushioning the ball in the path of Youri Tielemans. The midfielder did the rest, shooting the ball low past Florin Nita.
Much of the last decade must have seemed like a footballing nightmare for Belgium, but here it was a dream start in Cologne. After the start of the week brought great concern to Domenico Tedesco’s team, with a (supposedly) shocking 1-0 defeat to Slovakia, the end of the week at least brought hope. After Belgium’s 2-0 victory, all four teams in Group E have three points. Belgium leads on goal difference.
They still feel like a collection of talented individuals rather than a tight-knit team. This problem has been so chronic over the last decade which is almost too lazy to highlight, but it is true and continues to be the biggest barrier to Belgian success. The fact that this problem has persisted under numerous managers, afflicting a golden generation and what remains of it, is as fascinating as it is frustrating. At times on Saturday it felt like there were just 10 Belgians on the pitch. Ultimately, though, his problems manifested themselves in small mistakes rather than anything crippling.
At first there were passes without recipients, calls without answers. On the flanks, Jeremy Doku and Dodi Lukebakio made poor decisions more than once, dribbling when they should have passed. Kevin De Bruyne, so talismanic for Manchester City, was sometimes guilty of unusually poor execution, as with a deep free-kick that went over the byline – far from any team-mates. However, the midfielder’s better effort, a corner, went over the Romanian heads and appeared to land perfectly for Lukaku, only for the ill-prepared striker to watch in amazement as the goal almost ricocheted off his boot.
But when Belgium are in sync they can be brilliant, and they showed that side in Cologne too.
Doku and Lukebakio, by their occasional errors of judgement, typified that excitement, and De Bruyne is – on paper – the perfect midfielder to fuel them. When he and his compatriots find spaces between and beyond opposing players, to pass or gallop through, they are mesmerizing. And Lukaku is still capable of delivering great moments, as shown by his assist.
Yes, he lacked the goals he wants – and that the fans want for him. His two disallowed draws against Slovakia were due to bad timing and bad luck, respectively, and he also failed to convert a number of other decent chances. Here, he thought he found catharsis in a fine second-half finish and the subsequent embrace of his teammates. But this catharsis quickly drowned in a collective Romanian roar; Lukaku was… you know what’s coming…
Off-side.
However, he actually performed well for the most part up to that point, and performed competently thereafter. At one point, once again with his back to goal, his attacking play was as impressive as his assist. And his finish was only thwarted by Nicusor Bancu’s decisive, sliding block – a pure piece of footballing patriotism.
This description could also apply to Nita’s numerous saves, which kept Romania in touch on Saturday. One such save saw the goalkeeper propel himself towards goal to deflect a curling shot from Lukebakio, who had been set up after De Bruyne had nutmegged, slid towards the box and passed the ball to the winger.
Belgian goalkeeper Koen Casteels was also dramatically called into service shortly after his side’s opening goal, leaping up with an outstretched glove to tip Radu Dragusin’s point-blank header over the bar. It was a magnificent save, equal to the initial cross: an ugly throw from Marius Marin.
Casteels saved Belgium again in the 67th minute, following the Romanian postponement of Lukaku’s offside. The underdogs, who surprised Ukraine 3-0 in their Euro debut, should have drawn.
On the other side of the field, De Bruyne’s finishing was poor, as he shot well wide of the target and made a comfortable save from Nita with another. He also failed to find Doku at the far post in a disappointing moment, which certainly wouldn’t have happened if either man had been wearing his Man City shirt.
But in the end, Belgian fans were chanting De Bruyne’s name, who finally found the back of the net. He did so at a crucial moment with 10 minutes remaining, stretching to poke the ball into the bottom corner. So used to conjuring up fine assists, De Bruyne was in fact set up by an excellent long ball from his goalkeeper.
More chances came and went for both teams, but the score was settled: 2-0 for Belgium. For better or worse, they were exciting here, and everything good and bad was embodied by De Bruyne and Lukaku.
