Key events
53 mins: Romania are doing their best to double up Doku to stop him using his blistering pace. He is slowed down somewhat by an injury and needs treatment.
What they cannot forget is that De Bruyne is even better. He gets the ball around 25 yards from goal, takes a touch and looks to curl it into the far corner but his shot flies just wide.
51 mins: After a slow start to the half, Belgium take a few moments to find their feet. Doku is set free down the left and chips a dangerous cross over Nita but no one in red can reach it.
49 mins: Another fine chance for Romania as Mihăilă leads the break down the pitch but he takes a bad touch as he enters the box, pushing the ball wide before he pings a shot well over the bar.
Andy Flintoff has done some actual research: “Belgium would only need to be drawn against a team in dark shirts (and be the ‘away’ side) as I think Uefa have made the decision that each game in this tournament should be played between ‘dark shirts’ and ‘light shirts’ for ease of differentiation. Of course, I could be wrong about this.”
47 mins: A bright start to the half for Romania as Man cuts inside from the right and rifles a shot at goal but it is straight at Casteels.
“Wout Faes looks like the love child of Michael Bolton and Kenny G,” claims Russell Brady. “Loving his smooth jazz stylings from the back.”
Second half
Here we go again!
Portugal look decent.
“Is it childish to hope that Belgium qualify from the group only so that they might face another team that play in red and have to wear their Tintin away strip?” asks David Wall.
No.
Half time: Belgium 1-0 Romania
It has been a very good half of football in Cologne. Belgium will be irked by the fact they only have a one goal advantage. Romania have defended well and are certainly still in this.
45 mins: Burca heads over a corner and looks upset with himself for the miss.
One minute added on.
“Belgium can’t afford to relax,” Krishna insists. “Romania’s subs include Puskas and Hagi.”
Sadly, they are not clones.
44 mins: De Bruyne receives a pass from Lukebakio just inside the box. He takes aim but the shot is very weak and Nita gobbles it up.
42 mins: “Lukaku isn’t great any more, is he?” suggests Alex Gemmell. “They seem to be using him as a statue to play balls off but he was poor in the first match and seems limited again here.”
Decent at holding the ball up but does not look clinical when he gets a chance.
40 mins: Faes tries to hold off Dragus as he attempts to reach a through ball, the defender does not do his job to perfection, giving the Romanian a sniff of a chance but Casteels takes hold just in time.
“Romania’s number 20 looks a crafty player,” says Peter Oh. “If I were a Belgium defender I would try my hardest to stick it to the Man.”
38 mins: Man decides that passing is not the future and the next time he gets the ball, he cuts in from the right and drills a left-footed shot towards the bottom corner but Casteels is equal to it.
Down the other end Onana sends Lukebakio through but Romania’s defenders chase him, winning the ball back inside the box before he can get a shot away. Belgium do, however, win a corner. It comes to nothing.
36 mins: YELLOW CARD! Lukebakio will be out of the final group game after a cynical challenge on Dragus.
Romania produce their best move of the match but it ends when Man’s pass fails to find a teammate in the box. Some promising signs at least.
34 mins: This is very much peak De Bruyne out there tonight. He wants the ball on every possible occasion and his feet a dazzling those in yellow. He is very much still the key man for his country.
It is all Belgium still and Lukebakio is the latest to have a chance but his effort from 18 yards is deflected over.
32 mins: Doku does get a shot away this time after bamboozling Razvan Marin inside the box before taking aim at the near post but Nita is equal to it.
30 mins: Belgium are looking very confident. A fine team move gives Doku a sniff of a chance but Ratiu holds his ground and ensures a corner is the only damage.
28 mins: Marius Marin brings down De Bruyne midway inside the Romania half. I think the Romania midfielder might need a plan B if he wants to stay on the pitch.
26 mins: There is a delay while Mihăilă is treated for some unknown injury but it looks like a cunning ploy to get a break in play to me.
“If they can keep this defensive display up I think Romania well worth getting an Italian style equalizer against the run of play,” suggests Joshua Reynolds.
24 mins: Belgian reach the box again. Doku gets into a very dangerous position six yards from goal but he is held up by the defence.
De Bruyne is the next to try his luck but his cross is turned behind for a corner. The Manchester City man goes over to take it but Nita plucks it out of the sky.
Romania break up the pitch through Mihăilă who gets into the box but struggles to get the ball out of his feet. He falls over and looks for a penalty but nothing is happening. In the end, Belgium get a free-kick.
22 mins: Romania get a corner on the left. They’ve looked dangerous from set-pieces thus far. This one is off the training ground but it does not really work, concluding with a wayward shot from Mihăilă.
20 mins: A well-worked corner creates a good chance for Vertonghen but he slams his shot wide from 10 yards.
Tielemans is down after getting caught in the back of the head. It does not seem serious. To get his own back, he takes down Razvan Marin seconds later.
18 mins: Lukebakio is blocked off by Marius Marin who is lucky to escape without a booking. I am not sure Romania have a plan of how to stop the wingers legally.
Romania struggle to clear a cross, eventually sending the ball as far as Onana on the edge of the box but his shot is poor.
WHAT A SAVE! De Bruyne shows his class to breeze through the Romanian defence before picking out Lukebakio on the right. He cuts in and takes aim, forcing a great stop from Nita to his right.
16 mins: Lukebakio and Doku are the liveliest of wing duos are this tournament. They will be turning people inside and out for a while.
14 mins: Lukaku receives a Doku pass around eight yards from goal, he spins and shoots but a last-ditch tackle sends the ball behind for a corner. It should be 2-0.
“I always picked Romania over England at international tournaments as a kid as they were the underdogs and my English dad was an a**e while my Romanian mum is very excellent,” says Paul Curievici. “1998 and 2000 were great matches but 2000 was the first tournament I was old enough to watch in a pub and in retrospect I would have been wise to keep a lower profile.”
Welcome to my daughter’s world.
12 mins: Belgium are controlling the match now, keeping the ball with relative ease and looking to find a gap in the yellow wall in front of them. Romania know they will need to work hard to stay in this.
Doku tries to trick the full-back but he hold his ground, forcing him to pass back to Tielemans, whose shot from 20 yards is blocked.
10 mins: Neither side are offering an inch. Lukebakio gets taken down near the touchline but nothing is given despite it definitely being a foul. He gets up gingerly and seems OK to continue.
8 mins: Everyone is looking up for this. De Bruyne chases a ball over the top but Nita reaches it first, and is clattered by the Belgian for good measure. It all ends amicably.
6 mins: It’s been a lively start.
“Is it fair to make a comparison between two sets of Red Devils?” asks Charles Antaki. “One is a team with a crazily disappointing recent record, burdened by history, with one or two stars who flicker rather than shine, and who look across with envy at their more glamorous and more successful neighbours. The other one is, of course, the Belgian national team.”
4 mins: The Romanians in the crowd are massively up for this and the players know they need a response. They win a corner on the right. It is well worked and eventually goes into the box from the opposite flank, allowing Dragusin to head at goal, only to see Casteels stick up an arm to tip over.
GOAL! Belgium have scored at a major tournament. Belgium start with great intensity and look dangerous from the off. Doku passes the ball to Lukaku who holds it up and lays it off to Tielemans who lashes the ball home from 18 yards. Belgium are up and running.
GOAL! Belgium 1-0 Romania (Tielemans, 2)
A clean strike from the edge of the box.
Kick off
Peep! Peep! Peep! Here we go!
Red v yellow is a glorious look on the pitch. I am in favour of the kits.
“I remember the Romanian connection probably from the last Euros,” says Krishna. “One of my friends Bogdan currently living in Belgium is at the ground today and I told him ‘I hope you do not lose by more than 2 goals” and he quipped ‘I am the winner whoever wins’.”
Everyone is very keen to state that Belgium have not scored in their past three matches at major tournaments. Will that change tonight?
I wrote about Doku a while back, including some insight from his Belgian youth coach.
“What are you trying to do, stir up regional conflict?” asks Joe Pearson. “The fan in the Belgian Fries hat clearly is attacking the French gastronomic hegemony. I hope this doesn’t mean broader conflict.
“Also, did the missus write your Preamble for you, as you have said your Romanian is ‘awful’.”
Belgium will need to get out of the group before they can have any conflict with France. Who knows who wrote?
Big Ange is on ITV, too. What a get for the lads.
Ange Postecoglou speaking very well here, I think
— Adam Hurrey (@FootballCliches) June 22, 2024
As my daughter is half Romanian, she was offered the opportunity to select who she wants to support this tournament and she picked Romania over England. Will it pay off?
Some pre-match reading from the Guardian’s very own Karen Carney on England. She is about to do some punditry on this match, I am assured.
Starting lineups
Belgium (4-2-3-1): Casteels; Castagne, Faes, Vertonghen, Theate; Tielemans, Onana; Lukebakio, De Bruyne, Doku, Lukaku
Subs: Kaminski, Sels, Debüts, Trossard, Carrasco, Vranckx, De Ketelaere, Mangala, Openda, Vermeeren, De Cuyper
Romania (4-1-4-1): Nita; Ratiu, Dragusin, Burca, Bancu; M Marin; Man, R Marin, Stanciu, Mihăilă; Dragus
Subs: Moldovan, Tarnovanu, Rus, Nedelcearu, Alibec, Cicaldau, Pușcaș, Hagi, Olaru, Coman, Magos, Sorescu, Racovitan, Birligea, Sut
Referee: Szymon Marciniak
There will be around 25,000 Romanians in the stands in Cologne, bringing a sea of yellow. The Belgians, however, will not be outdone.
Learn a bit more about a new era of football in Romania with your friend and mine Nick Ames.
Preamble
These two sides endured and enjoyed a surprising opening round of fixtures as Belgium were beaten by Slovakia, while Romania gave Ukraine a shock 3-0 defeat. Despite their contrasting efforts last time around, everyone is expecting the Belgians to come away from Cologne with three points and their Euros campaign up and running.
Football, however, is not always that easy and Romania will sense a bit of weakness in the Red Devils. They will be high on confidence and eager to cause a second upset.
Kevin De Bruyne et al might claim to be a touch tired from a season of club success but they have never lived up to the hype at international level. It would seem the days of the golden generation has passed and we await to see if this group can trouble the latter stages.
Au trecut de mult zilele lui Gheorghe Hagi si Gheorghe Popescu. Echipa Romaniei are o noua generatie de jucatori care a dat suporterilor sperante pentru etapa urmatoare. Hai Romania!
Here’s to a cracker.
Kick-off 8pm BST
