Romania emerged shock winners of Group E at Euro 2024, with Belgium clinging onto the second automated knockout place and Slovakia following the pair via to the subsequent spherical in third.
In a desperately unlucky accident, Ukraine completed backside of the group and can exit the match regardless of accumulating the identical variety of factors as Romania.
Remarkably, all 4 groups ended up with 4 factors from their three video games.
Romania and Slovakia performed out a 1-1 draw, which was ok for each groups to progress whatever the outcome within the different sport. Ondrej Duda handed Slovakia the lead halfway via the primary half, with Razvan Marin occurring to equalise from the penalty spot quickly after.
For Romania, that is their first time making the knockout stage of a match since Euro 2000.
The conflict between Ukraine and Belgium had way more using on it, and was tantalisingly balanced at 0-0. The Ukrainians twice got here near profitable it late on, which might have launched them into first place and consigned Belgium to early elimination.
Such had been the tremendous margins at play, the alternative occurred.
Belgium had goalkeeper Koen Casteels to thanks for sparing their blushes and maintaining the prospect alive for the final remnants of the golden technology to lastly declare worldwide silverware.
Ruslan Malinovskyi was inches from an ingenious objective straight from a nook that nearly caught out Casteels on the close to publish. Happily for Belgium, he reacted simply in time and was capable of beat the ball away from on the goal-line.
In the end, the sport didn’t actually spark into life till the closing phases and, of anybody, Georgiy Sudakov appeared able to making the essential breakthrough. The Shakhtar Donetsk teen is being touted for a giant summer time transfer and virtually delivered one of many moments of the match in stoppage time when he launched into a superb run into the penalty space.
Agonisingly for Ukraine, the eventual shot was straight at Casteels when, both facet of the goalkeeper, it will have given his nation the win and a spot within the final 16.
