Belgium vs Slovakia: Lukaku and Dúbravka in Key Euro 2024 Battle
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Belgium's unbeaten squad under Tedesco faces a resilient Slovakia in their Euro 2024 opener, aiming for a strong start in the group stage.
After co-hosting the UEFA European Championship in 2000, Belgium took 16 years to return, and they’re now gearing up for their third consecutive appearance in the finals.
Their ‘golden generation’ reached the quarter-finals in the last two tournaments, but a group stage exit at the 2022 World Cup served as a wake-up call. Manager Domenico Tedesco, leading Belgium in a major tournament for the first time, has selected a more youthful squad for Euro 2024.
This fresh Belgian team seems to thrive without the heavy burden of past expectations. Under Tedesco, they remain unbeaten in 14 matches since his appointment in February 2023 (W10, D4). Notably, only England has managed to score against them in their last six matches, during a 2-2 draw at Wembley in March.
Slovakia, also appearing in their third consecutive Euros, first competed as an independent nation in 2016.
Despite winning their opening match of Euro 2020 against Poland, two subsequent defeats led to a group stage exit and the dismissal of manager Štefan Tarkovič. Francesco Calzona took over and guided Slovakia through an impressive qualifying campaign with only two losses, both to Portugal (W7, D1).
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Entering the tournament in good form, Slovakia is unbeaten in their last three friendlies (W2, D1), including two emphatic 4-0 victories over San Marino and Wales. This momentum gives them hope of achieving their first-ever win against Belgium, whom they last faced in a 2-1 defeat in February 2013 (D2).
Key battle: Romelu Lukaku remains Belgium’s top scorer, recently netting twice against Luxembourg to reach 85 international goals, making him the second-highest European men’s scorer behind Cristiano Ronaldo.
Slovakia’s goalkeeper Martin Dúbravka, who recently kept a clean sheet against Wales and has conceded just once in four encounters with Lukaku, will aim to stop him this time.
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