Half an hour of suffering, but also an hour of hoping for the best. The Belgian promises started its European Championship with a difficult draw with the Netherlands. After the Little Devils had to survive the opening stretch, they themselves had the best chances to score a goal afterward. In particular, Anderlecht goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen blocked a Belgian side.
In the Georgian capital Tbilisi – the city of the Belgians – danger comes from every corner. In traffic, the law of daredevils is important and near misses cannot be counted on one hand.
Well, the Belgian promises also slipped off a few pieces in the first half hour of their opening match against the Netherlands.
The Orangemen had a hot start with five big chances. Taylor hit the post after 5 minutes, Ecklenkamp was short legged and Timber shot wide.
But especially Connie de Winter prevented much worse. The talented defender was always in the right place before the break and took the ball off the line twice in one stage.
King Connie.
About half an hour later, the Belgians finally got a better grip on the very intense match – the yellow card counter stood at 4 after 30 minutes.
Vertessen kicked an excellent opportunity on the counterattack. Openda in particular left an excellent chance at 1-0. After a brilliant cross from De Ketelaere, the striker came face to face with Verbruggen, who made a save on the ice.
Shame.
Curses on Verbruggen
At the start of the second half, the Devils – along with Baliquecha and Sequeh – continued the upward trend.
A Dutchman’s free-kick by Sikitt died against the crossbar. The hardworking De Ketelaere also had a good shot opportunity just before the hour mark, but saw his attempt to zoom in half a meter wide.
We heard 10 Belgian spectators – including the entourage from CDK – collectively swearing in an almost empty stadium.
Will anyone be sharp in front of goal in the last half hour?
Brobbey collided with Vandevoordt, and Balikwisha saw a delicious curl from the top corner that Verbruggen cruised. Fifteen minutes before the end of the match, the Anderlecht phenomenon once again held firm with an attempt from the flank after a gentle attack.
The Belgians had never seen such a strong watch rewarded with a goal.
But she didn’t swallow anything—thanks in part to Vandevoord’s presentation at the castle.
So the final balance after a confrontation with the strongest member of the group – especially after Georgia’s trick against Portugal – could be positive.
Confirmation, but with goals, should follow against Al Watan on Saturday.
Charles de Kettleery: “It feels bad”
As Charles de Cutlery watched Belgium with two faces in the opening match of the European Championship: “We were definitely not in the right place in the first half. So we were happy that we could break 0-0”.
Then, some mods completely turned the game around. “They’ve got a lot of space on their backs, so we tinkered with that in the dressing room,” said De Cutlere.
“But if you see all these chances for us in the second half, it’s a little bad. I missed a few too,” he criticizes himself.
The captain is still proud of his team’s performance. “We were definitely equal to the Netherlands, so that’s great. And at the end, I think a point is also worth it.”
Now the focus is on Saturday’s Group B match. Then the demons attack Georgia.
“But first you have to recover a bit,” says the Belgian turntable. “From tomorrow we will go forward with full force again.”
Michel Ange Balikuesha: “The decisive ball was at my feet”
Balikuesha gets a cynical feeling after missing out on him. “The decisive ball was at my feet, but the goalkeeper made a great save. I should have done more with this opportunity myself,” he said.
But he also sees the positive aspects of his replacement. “I came with a good mentality and did everything I could for the team. I had to create danger and I succeeded.”
“It is a pity that I was not able to score,” the winger concluded. “But I just want to be dangerous in the next game in the same way.”
Although Balikuesha hopes he can start on base. “I accepted the manager’s decision not to put me in the starting line-up, but I hope I have proven that I have a place there next time,” he said.
“And then we also have to wait less than today in the first half. But if we can win ourselves and Portugal and Holland end in a draw, then we’re doing great.”
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Verbruggen also stops one last Belgian chance
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Excellent save from Fundfordt
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Both teams have an excellent chance
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A great save by Verbruggen keeps Palekuecha out of the way
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