Belgium 1-1 Sweden (suspended)
The Euro 2024 qualifier game between Belgium and Sweden was halted following a shooting incident that left two Swedes dead in an attack in Brussels on Monday.
“Following a suspected terrorist attack in Brussels this evening, it has been decided, after consultation with the two teams and the local police authorities, that the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying match between Belgium and Sweden is abandoned. Further communication will be made in due course,” said UEFA in a statement.
The score was 1-1 at halftime when the decision was made to abandon the match, and the 35,000 fans in attendance were told to stay in the King Baudouin Stadium for several hours due to precautionary measures since the gunman is reportedly still at large.
Highlights of the game
Fans at the King Baudouin Stadium probably anticipated a shootout of sorts between Belgium and Sweden, as both teams had several chances to get onto the scoresheet early on.
20 seconds into the match, Emil Forsberg fired the opening shot, a long-range effort from outside the box that Belgian goalkeeper Matz Sels easily stopped.
Belgium then almost found the back of the net in the 14th minute when Yannick Carrasco found Johan Bakayoko inside the penalty area, who drew out a brilliant save by Swedish shot stopper Robin Olsen.
Belgium were left to rue after Bakayoko’s miss, as Sweden were off to the races a few seconds later, and Viktor Gyokeres scored the first goal of the match after taking Jan Vertonghen’s ankles.
After waiting for a counterattack at the start of the game, Sweden were suddenly playing on the front foot, as they had a few more chances, courtesy of Viktor Gyokeres and Dejan Kulusevski.
But the Red Devils regained control of the game as Romelu Lukaku’s influence grew. His first attempt came in the 22nd minute, when he forced a save from Olsen after shooting his shot despite having three defenders surrounding him.
Belgium’s persistence would pay off, as Orel Mangala won a penalty when he was tripped inside the box by Filip Helander. Romelu Lukaku stepped up and converted the penalty kick to make it 1-1.
And they almost scored another goal in the 42nd minute when Carrasco’s cross almost made its way to Lukaku’s boot, but to no avail.
Right before halftime, it was Sweden’s chance to reclaim the lead when Emil Forsberg fired a volley, but his shot hit the crossbar.
Key statistics
While Belgium had more possession at 66-per cent (compared to Sweden’s 34-per cent), Sweden had more total shots with 13, with six of them on target (compared to Belgium’s nine total and three on target).
Romelu Lukaku just recorded his 78th goal for the Red Devils, which is more than double that of Premier League icon Eden Hazard, who is second in the all-time scoring list with 33 goals.
On the other hand, Viktor Gyokeres has now scored his fourth goal in 16 caps for Sweden, while Victor Lindelof made his 61st appearance as part of the Blagult.
With the match suspended, Belgium and Sweden didn’t get any points on Monday.
Belgium are still on top of Group F with 16 points, which is now level with Austria following their 1-0 win over Azerbaijan, while Sweden remain in third place with six points.
Although they still have two games in hand, Sweden are unlikely to qualify directly for the quadrennial showcase in Germany, according to the updated Euro 2024 odds, and head coach Janne Andersson is expected to resign from the national team soon.
What’s next?
The local authorities in Brussels have yet to catch the gunman as of this writing. Several reports claim that he arrived on a scooter in an orange fluorescent vest, based on the amateur video footage that they’ve gathered.
According to Eric Van Duyse, spokesman for the federal prosecutor’s office, they are investigating whether the shooting was linked to the uproar over the Israel-Hamas war because the gunman apparently claims to be “inspired by Islamic State”. So far, it appears unlikely.
Belgium’s National Crisis Centre raised the terror alert level to its top rating of 4 following the unfortunate Euro 2024 news, and they further advised citizens to avoid unnecessary travel.
“Keep calm and take care of each other. Our thoughts go out to all the relatives of those affected in Brussels,” said the Swedish FA.
“Our thoughts are with all those affected,” wrote the Belgian FA.
Likewise, here at SBOTOP, our thoughts are with everyone who was deeply affected by this harrowing incident in Brussels.
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