Domenico Tedesco walked around his coaching zone in Stuttgart’s Neckarstadion almost the entire time. Sometimes he had his hands on his hips, sometimes in his pockets. As the match progressed, he gestured more and more towards his players on the pitch. He tried to radiate composure. But the more the table situation in Group E worsened, the more strained his instructions seemed. Because the match between Slovakia and Romania, which was running at the same time, also ended in a draw (1:1), just a single goal for Ukraine in the final phase would have meant the end for Tedesco’s Belgians. It would have been an embarrassment beyond compare, even more so than the embarrassing group stage exit at the 2022 World Cup.
In the 83rd minute, this horror scenario almost came true from Belgium’s perspective. Ruslan Malinowskyi’s sharply aimed corner surprised Belgium’s goalkeeper Koen Casteels. He was able to catch the ball just before it crossed the goal line. For Tedesco, such a goal would have been an absurdity. In the end, Belgium managed to hold on to a nervous 0:0. The result put them in the round of 16, but that wasn’t enough for the fans: they booed Tedesco’s team deafeningly afterwards. On Monday, they will face fellow favorites France in the next round. All teams in Group E finished the preliminary round with four points each.
For Ukraine, however, the worst goal difference means elimination from the European Championship. President Volodymyr Zelensky immediately offered consolation from afar. “We thank the Ukrainian team, which fought for us as a nation despite the unfortunate outcome,” he wrote on the X platform.
Due to the complicated situation in the group, the game developed in a way that was influenced by the current league table situation. Neither team wanted to fall behind and retreated far back when the opposition had possession of the ball. In order to prevent the Belgians from making dangerous through passes, Ukraine’s coach Serhiy Rebrov even changed the basic formation, forming a five-man defense line instead of a four-man defense line. He also dispensed with the strong left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko.
The strategy was based on aggressive defense and counterattacks, which worked well several times. Although outside attacker Mykhailo Mudryk had to sit out due to injury, the double striker Artem Dovbyk and Roman Yaremchuk managed to keep the ball up front and pass it off. The Ukrainians were thus surprisingly able to score again and again: In the best chance just before half-time, Dovbyk narrowly missed a cross from Yaremchuk.
The only notable goal approach before the break shows the lack of imagination of the Belgians
Unlike Ukraine, Belgium continued to be passive in defence. At times, the team was worried about another disappointing defeat. Despite the quality of their attack, the Belgians were initially unable to create any opportunities from the ongoing game. The dribbling wingers Jeremy Doku and Leandro Trossard from the Premier League were just as ineffective as target player Romelu Lukaku. All three players were later substituted early. As a result, Belgian playmaker Kevin De Bruyne was deprived of the options to outmaneuver the Ukrainian defence with his precision passes. The only notable approach to goal before the break was representative of the Belgians’ lack of imagination: De Bruyne shot a free kick cross from a distance straight into the side netting.
Belgium at least increased the tempo and dominated the action – but without really building up any pressure. The tactically-based match then turned into a nerve-wracking game in the second half. After the Ukrainians lost the ball, Lukaku and substitute Yannick Carrasco had two chances to counterattack after an hour. Lukaku’s shot rolled towards the goal and Carrasco was caught in time.
In the final phase, Belgium played a few more counterattacks poorly. This left Tedesco worried – until he clenched his hands into fists several times after the final whistle.