Belgium showcases Finland’s gate

Belgium joined Italy and the Netherlands as the only team to achieve full points in the second group stage of the Euro 2020 group stage after beating Finland 0-2 on Monday, leaving them with few options to pass.

The ‘Red Devils’ did not speculate and added three more points, and succeeded again because without playing the usual attacking football, they could not finish the Finnish resistance until the last stage of the second half, and with the support of a killer Karum from Lukas Hradecky who was until then in high level.

Roberto Martinez didn’t think about the Round of 16 and, except for the lanes, with Trussard and Chadli entering through Meunier and Carrasco, and up front, where Eden Hazard entered for his brother and young Dooku for Mertens, he already had eleven with Witsel and De Bruyne from the headlines to lead the confrontation for nearly 90 minutes.

Finland, realizing its inferiority, preferred to protect itself and is looking for a counterattack to try to salvage the point that gave it a ticket to the second round in its first participation, and is now in doubt by staying 3-points and -2 in the “goal average” that complicates his continuity.

The Belgians were in charge, but could not break the Finnish ranking, except on rare occasions in the first 45 minutes with a great slalom from De Bruyne, a header from Lukaku and, above all, a shot from Doku, saved by a good hand. by Hradecky.

After the break, the text did not change excessively, except that Finland tried to spread further to annoy Courtois, who had a quiet night. Hradecky didn’t have it, who was graceful again to prevent Eden Hazard, who scared the rest with his ankle injury, from reuniting with the goal.

Lukaku did it with a superb pass from De Bruyne minutes later, but the VAR technique, the millimeter, came to the rescue of the Scandinavian team. However, luck was out of hand as he geared up to face the final quarter, and with Denmark already beating Russia in Copenhagen to start snatching second place.

Vermaelen’s header hit the post and rebounded on Hradecky, whose reaction to try to block the ball ended up sending him into the net. Finland had no arguments to jump decisively and Lukaku ended up judging Belgium already waiting for a third in the group.

data sheet.

– Result: Finland, 0 – Belgium, 2 (0-0, first half).

– Alliances.

Finland: Hradecky; O’Shaughnessy, Arajuuri, Toivio; Raitala, Kamara, Sparf (Schuller, min 59), Lod (Force, min 91), Oronen (Alhu, min 70); Pohjanpalo (Echo, min 70) y Pukki (Jensen, min 91).

Belgium: Courtois; Boyata, Denayer, Vermaelen; Trossard (Ménière, 75 min), Witsel, De Bruyne (Vanaken, min 91), Chadli; Duku (Batchway, 76′), Lukaku (Bentke, 84′) and Eden Hazard.

Objectives.

0-1, 74th minute. Hradecky owns his goal.

0-2, 81st minute. Lukaku.

Referee: Felix Brych (ALE). Without reprimand.

Stadium: Krestovsky, Saint Petersburg.