Euro 2024: Slovakia stuns Belgium after Lukaku goals ruled out
Slovakia stunned Belgium after two Romelu Lukaku goals were ruled out upon video review on Monday.
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SLOVAKIA STUNS BELGIUM AFTER TWO LUKAKU GOALS RULED OUT
Slovakia upset Belgium, 2-1, after two Lukaku goals were ruled out upon video review in an intense Group E European Championship match.
Furthermore, Ivan Schranz provided Slovakia’s lone goal of the match in the seventh minute.
That was enough to pull off the surprise for Slovakia behind a wildly cheering crowd at the Waldstadion in Frankfurt, Germany.
Moreover, Lukaku had his chance to change the tide for Belgium.
However, his goals were overturned upon Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review.
Interestingly, David Hancko had a daring goal-line block that preserved Slovakia’s big win.
He did the feat amid a face injury he sustained after getting hit by a knee from a teammate.
BELGIUM COACH ‘HAVE TO ACCEPT’ RESULT AMID LUKAKU HEARTBREAK GOALS
Furthermore, Belgium coach Domenico Tedesco accepts the match officials’ decision on Lukaku’s heartbreak goals.
“I want to be at least a good, fair loser,” Tedescro said.
“We trust these guys. We just have to accept it,” he added.
Moreover, Lukaku pounced on Slovakia with two second-half goals that went for naught.
His first goal was ruled as an offside upon VAR review, while his second attempt in the 86th minute also failed to convince match officials.
Officials said Lous Openda handled the ball before he made the pass to Lukaku for what could’ve been the equalizer.
“He’s (Lukaku) a top-class player, a great character,” Tedesco said.
“He’s been playing for Belgium for a long time and he knows very well how to score goals,” he added.
UPSET WIN ‘MEANS A LOT’ FOR SLOVAKIANS, SAYS MIDFIELDER LOBOTKA
The upset win “means a lot” not just for Slovakian fans among the 45,181 crowd but for those back home, said midfielder Stanislav Lobotka.
“This win means a lot not just for me but the whole Slovak nation,” Lobotka said.
“Maybe not everyone has believed in us,” he added.
Moreover, Slovakia coach Francesco Calzona is praising veterans Kucka and Peter Pekarik for starting all eight matches for Slovakia since 2016.
“Kucka, he is having an Indian summer in his career and I’m delighted with that,” Calzona said.
Pekaris is “a consummate professional,” he added.
