No. 3 out of 3 for the Red Devils under Domenico Tedesco. Against Austria, a volatile Belgium never got past a 1-1 draw. A point he could actually be happy with. Romelu Lukaku sealed the equalizer with a superb goal, and Thibaut Courtois made the day with a fantastic save. In extra time, Youri Tielemans saw the winning goal explode on the crossbar.
Belgium – Austria in a nutshell:
- Key moment: In overtime, the Devils are closing in on victory. Tielemans unloads the ball with a great spot, but his shot ends up on the crossbar.
- man of the match Not his best game in a Red Devils shirt, but Romelu Lukaku eventually made the difference again. Alaba kept him out of the game until the Inter striker managed to shoot.
- distinct: Victory over Belgium, so the Austrians have to dive deep into the history books. Since winning 4-2 in a friendly match in 1959, Austria have only managed to beat the Red Devils in six exchanged matches.
Poor performance and your unfortunate goal
Neither De Bruyne, nor Onana, and at the last minute, neither Vitongen. So, he eliminated Domenico Tedesco and selected Tielemans, Mangala and Dendoncker for his first home game. Doku is also allowed to start, and Romelu Lukaku is given the captain’s armband.
With a 0-3 victory over Sweden and a 2-3 victory over Germany, Tedesco did not miss his debut as a national coach. The expectations of the Belgian fans at the King Baudouin Stadium were high, but they were never met.
In a disappointing first half, the Red Devils were unable to trouble goalkeeper Schlager once. There is no depth and a lot of carelessness, only occasional flashes of Lukebakio and Doku cause excitement among the crowd. Although this was not the case with them either.
Austria easily held its own and had better luck, too. After just over 20 minutes, unfortunately, Aurel Mangala parried a harmless shot from Michael Gregoric, leaving Courtois without a chance. There was no strong reaction from the Belgians, although Lukbakio sniffed a 1-1 lead shortly before half-time.
The Austrians celebrate 0-1.
Lukaku and Courtois avoid defeat
In the second half, the Devils increased the pressure, though Austria easily held their pressure. Only about an hour later Lukaku was finally able to break free from Alaba’s grip. Twice he was allowed a try from the edge of the sixteen and with the second blast the blow was: 1-1.
The path to more seemed open, but Austria’s reaction was sharp. Sabitzer’s long shot went wide and Courtois needed a great save when suddenly Bosch was able to swing free into the penalty area.
The Belgians played much better than before the break, but the dexterity was missing. Substitute Bakayoko could not pass the ball past Schlager, Carrasco’s shot went wide and Lukaku also lost efficiency with a rebound.
Tedesco had three other players make their debuts in the final stage with Franks, El Dakhil and Tresor. They almost celebrated their first game with a win when Tielemans fired in extra time, but his shot hit the crossbar. Thus, Austria takes a point and remains at the top of Group Six.
Lukaku celebrates the equaliser, his 73rd goal for the Red Devils.
Crucial save from Courtois prevents 1-2.
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