As excitement for EURO 2024 reaches a fever pitch, we look forward to some surprises in key matches. Let’s take a look at what happened on Day 4 of the big tournament…
Romania did not let go of Ukraine
Romania and Ukraine faced off in Group E of the European Football Championship (EURO 2024) at the Munich Football Arena. Romania got off to a good start by beating Ukraine 3-0.
In the match, which was whistled by Swedish referee Glenn Nyberg, Nicolae Stanciu scored from the penalty arc in the 29th minute to give Romania a 1-0 lead. The first half of the match ended with Romania leading 1-0. Romania started the second half quickly, and in the 53rd minute, Razvan Marin scored from outside the penalty area to make the score 2-0. Romania continued to perform well in attack, and in the 57th minute, Denis Draguš, who plays for Super League Gaziantep FK, scored a goal from in front of the goal to extend the lead to three goals. With no other goals scored in the remaining minutes, Romania defeated Ukraine 3-0 in the first match of Group E.
Meanwhile, Florin Nita and Denis Dragus, who play for Romania’s Gaziantep FK, started the game from the 11th minute of the first half, and Dragus scored the team’s third goal.
Belgium shocked by Slovakia
The second match on the final day saw Belgium and Slovakia face off in Group E. The match took place at the Frankfurt Arena, and was officiated by Turkish referee Halil Umut Meller, with Slovakia winning 1-0.
Ivan Šranc scored the winning goal for Slovakia in the seventh minute.
Lukaku’s ‘curse of the tournament’, Mellor’s decision…
After going into the break down 1-0, Belgium started the second half in style, attacking repeatedly and scoring in the 56th minute. After Trossard crossed the ball, Mangala’s header was on its way towards goal, and Lukaku stretched out his leg in the last moment to smash the ball into the net.
After a VAR check, Romelu Lukaku was ruled to be offside and the goal was disallowed.
Belgium continued to attack the opposition’s goal in the second half, this time through Romelu Lukaku in the 86th minute. Reus Openda carried the ball down the left wing and met Lukaku in the penalty area. The experienced striker smashed the ball into the net with a single shot to bring the team to parity.
After a second VAR check, referee Halil Umut Merah determined that Openda had handled the ball and disallowed Lukaku’s goal.
Romelu Lukaku, who was also selected for Belgium’s 2022 World Cup squad, also played in the tournament as the team’s frontline goal-scoring weapon.
The soccer star was largely in disarray during his team’s final World Cup match in Group F against Croatia, failing to convert a clear position into a goal.
The 31-year-old centre-forward has had a poor start to Euro 2024, which has caused quite a stir among football fans.
France wins, Mbappe worries
The final match of the day saw Group D’s France face off against Austria at the Merkur Spiel-Arena.
After 38 minutes, Spanish referee Gil Manzano blew his whistle and Kylian Mbappé crossed from the right wing, and Maximilian Weber headed the ball into his own goal, giving France a 1-0 lead. The first half ended with this score. In the second half, both teams failed to attack, but France won the match 1-0.
Mbappe is scary
Although France won the match 1-0, the team was shaken by an injury to their number 10, Kylian Mbappe.
France star Kylian Mbappe was left on the ground in pain after a collision with Kevin Danso during an aerial challenge in the 86th minute.
The medical team immediately intervened with Kylian Mbappé, who was bleeding heavily from the nose after the collision.
Players from both teams visited the France star to find out how he was doing, but were unaware of how serious the situation was.
A medical examination will determine whether the star footballer with a broken nose will play in the remainder of the match.
