Belgium – Romania: Belgium Back In Business (2-0)

Belgium bounced back from their shock defeat with a trademark performance. Scoring early certainly helped them dictate the pace, forcing Romania to chase the game, while allowing Belgium to showcase their attacking prowess. Their success revolved around the midfield dominance, and although Romania created opportunities in the second half, Tedesco’s men held firm to secure three crucial points.

Tactical analysis and match report by Rahul Madhavan.

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Labeling Belgium as favorites never seems to work in their favor. They were widely expected to dominate Slovakia in their opening fixture, but an early goal and a series of unfortunate events, including missed chances and VAR interventions, led to the first shock result in this year’s Euros. Belgium didn’t perform at the level they’ve shown under Domenico Tedesco, a fact the head coach readily admitted, but they had another opportunity to right the wrong.

Tedesco made three changes following their recent defeat and reverted to his preferred back four. Koen Casteels started in goal, while Timothy Castagne, Wout Faes, and Jan Vertonghen retained their places. Arthur Theate returned to the starting lineup, replacing Yannick Carrasco at left-back. In midfield, Youri Tielemans replaced Orel Mangala and partnered with Amadou Onana, with Kevin De Bruyne continuing in his advanced role. Dodi Lukebakio came in for Leandro Trossard, moving Jérémy Doku to the left side, while Romelu Lukaku maintained his spot up front.

Romania, on the other hand, delivered the most stunning result of the first round, with a 3-0 victory over Ukraine. Despite Ukraine dominating possession, Romania’s solid defense and clinical finishing – something Belgium lacked – provided them a massive boost in their quest to reach the knockout rounds for the first time in over two decades.

Edward Iordănescu made only one change to the starting lineup. Florin Niță started in goal, with Andrei Rațiu, Radu Drăgușin, Andrei Burcă, and Nicușor Bancu forming the back four. The midfield trio consisted of Marius Marin, Răzvan Marin, and Nicolae Stanciu. On the flanks were Dennis Man and Valentin Mihăilă, who replaced Florinel Coman, while Denis Drăguș, who scored against Ukraine, continued to lead the attack upfront.


Frantic start

Tedesco made some surprising choices in the first game, but the essence of the performance was that Belgium lacked their usual wide threat. Doku wasn’t at his best on the right side, while Trossard and Carrasco struggled in one-versus-one situations on the left. This time, starting Doku on the left and Lukebakio on the right – both known for cutting inside and excelling in isolation – certainly proved effective.

The most significant change, however, was the inclusion of Tielemans, who made an impact within minutes. The Aston Villa midfielder dispossessed Marin in midfield, with the ball falling to Lukaku. He then set up Doku on the left, who, in typical fashion, drew three players, creating space for a cut-back. Instead, he passed to Lukaku, who found Tielemans once again near the edge of the box, and the midfielder’s powerful drive sent the ball crashing into the back of the net.

Clearly, the onus shifted to Romania, and Belgium’s defense was immediately put to the test. After forcing Vertonghen into a mistake with their high press, Romania won a corner, which produced their best chance of the first half. Their set-piece routines were arguably their standout moments in the first period, seemingly inspired by Italy.

A short corner on the right flank saw the corner taker (Man) drift into the half-space to deliver the cross after a quick exchange with Stanciu. However, instead of the expected scenario, Romania switched the play, forcing the Belgian defense to adjust their body shape once again. When Marin received the ball on the left flank, he delivered a dangerous cross into the area that Drăgușin met. Luckily for Belgium, Casteels’ imposing presence allowed him to tip the ball over the bar.

The first five minutes set the tone for the game. Both teams favored a vertical and direct approach during the build-up phase, resulting in a frantic, end-to-end start. Ultimately, the game hinged on quality, and Belgium managed to make it count.


Belgium’s midfield dynamism brings control

Tedesco continued with a similar shape in possession, featuring a 3-2 shape in the first line, with Faes and Theate split wide in the back three. Tielemans and Onana sat at the base of the midfield, while De Bruyne operated higher up and between the lines.

Last game, both Mangala and Onana had been stationary and close together in the pivot, which compressed the space in midfield and made Slovakia easier to mark. This time, Tielemans, who certainly is a better passer and more effective in advanced areas, had the freedom to push higher up the pitch, ultimately improving Belgium’s ability to manipulate Romania’s press and progress into the final third.

Romania’s shape out of possession, meanwhile, resembled a 4-1-4-1 structure, with a very man-oriented midfield marking. Initially, the front three pressed higher up the pitch, targeting the Belgium’s back three to win the ball high. But Romania’s strategy to double up on Lukaku with their center-backs always left their opponents with a spare man, a tactical advantage they exploited brilliantly, particularly on the right side.

The combination between Faes, Tielemans, Lukebakio, and Castagne consistently created a four-versus-three situation, with Belgium making full use of the width by utilizing Castagne’s darts near the touchline. Tielemans’ role was also crucial here, as his ability to receive under pressure before delivering quick passes into the final third notably aided Tedesco’s men early in the game.


Minute 6: Belgium’s combination on the right side against Romania’s press. Initially marking Castagne, Mihăilă was forced to close down Faes as he carried the ball into midfield. At the same time, Tielemans presented himself for the pass, while Castagne surged into the vacated space with Lukebakio pinning the full-back. Tielemans’ precise first-time pass was exceptional, as it found the free-man, Castagne, on the right side.


With Belgium establishing a wide overload featuring Castagne and Lukebakio, Mihăilă was forced back to counter their numerical advantage. Romania attempted to manage this situation by deploying the ball-sided midfielder (Stanciu) to press Faes while blocking passing lane to Tielemans. However, Tielemans’ movement in the right half-space areas allowed Belgium to use third-man combinations to locate him, which in turn, pulled the holding midfielder (M. Marin) out and created space on the opposite side.


Minute 16: As Faes received the ball, Stanciu initiated the press by using his cover shadow to block the lane to Tielemans. Castagne adjusted his position, providing an option for Faes, and Belgium utilize a third-man combination to find Tielemans. Marin was slow to shift laterally to close down Tielemans, who executed a quick give-and-go with Castagne, enabling Belgium to advance effortlessly into the final third.


Besides the combination on the right flank, Kevin De Bruyne, who had a free-role, frequently looked to drop deeper on the left-side and collect near the center-circle, effectively shifting the team into an asymmetrical 3-3-4 shape. From there, they would look to switch to the wide areas where either Doku or Lukebakio could exploit isolated situations. These dynamic midfield movements have been a hallmark under Tedesco over the past year, and the impact was apparent against Romania right from the outset.


The Doku-De Bruyne factor

Belgium were certainly threatening from both sides, but they were especially dangerous on the left where Doku frequently found himself in one-on-one situations against Andrei Rațiu. Their primary source of chance creation came from the left, largely due to Doku’s skill and pace.

A common pattern emerged – when Romania quickly closed down the space on the right flank, Belgium would switch play to Theate, who received the ball with an open body shape and then found Doku. Romania were forced to double or sometimes even triple-team the Manchester City winger, whose movement pinned them back, while also creating space for the likes of De Bruyne and Tielemans.


Minute 52: What started as a three-versus-three situation quickly turned into a big opportunity for Belgium. Doku drew both the full-back and winger, forcing Marin, De Bruyne’s marker, to shift across as Theate made an underlapping run that was found by Doku with a clever flick. This movement created space for the Belgian captain, who then had the time and room to take a shot at goal.


As Romania pushed more players forward, De Bruyne was the one who benefited the most, as he frequently found himself in space between the lines, receiving the ball on the half-turn, and starting counterattacks. Belgium had several chances to put the game to bed, but sloppy play in the final third and another cruel VAR intervention kept them under pressure, despite De Bruyne’s brilliance.


Belgium’s pass-map perfectly highlights their use of both flanks. On the right side, the four players combined quite strongly, while on the left, the frequent passes from Theate to the isolated Doku are evident. Additionally, De Bruyne’s influence is clear, despite his advanced position on the pitch.


Romania bring the heat in the final moments

Romania struggled to create opportunities in the first half, but their performance improved in the second. But before discussing Romania’s use of players in possession, it’s worth noting Belgium’s defensive shape.

Tedesco deployed a 3-4-1-2 system, with Lukebakio and Lukaku up front, while Doku often tracked his counterpart as a wing-back. The team adopted a highly man-oriented approach, with Theate and Faes closely marking Romania’s wingers, even when they moved wide.

In truth, Romania only began posing a consistent threat after introducing Ianis Hagi and Darius Olaru around the hour mark, replacing Valentin Mihăilă and Marius Marin. With Belgium holding a slender lead and Romania pushing men higher up the pitch, Belgium, who had been pressing high, started to retreat.

This caused their press to lose coordination; when Lukebakio advanced alongside Lukaku, Castagne, who was instructed to jump to the Romanian full-back, hesitated to avoid creating a three-versus-three situation at the back. Consequently, Romania exploited the left side, progressing through their full-back Nicușor Bancu, with Hagi heavily involved as well.


The xG plot clearly highlights Romania’s marked improvement in the second half.


While Romania did create a couple of clear-cut chances by forcing mistakes from Belgium’s backline, Belgium defended the crosses well, and delivered a decisive blow with about ten minutes of regulation time remaining. A route-one approach from Casteels’ long kick bypassed everyone, allowing De Bruyne to break through and poke the ball past the keeper and secure his team’s first win of the Euros.


Takeaways

This was a performance that resembled the Belgium built under Domenico Tedesco. Quick combinations in buildup, fluid movements in midfield, and reliance on wide players to create opportunities characterized a solid night.

“You saw a team with lots of quality, they have speed, they have explosion, power. They are a complete team. They are a candidate to win the title,” remarked Edward Iordănescu after the game.

While the last part might be somewhat exaggerated, given Belgium’s defensive struggles, they undoubtedly displayed quality on the night. These three points were crucial and would surely bring relief to the camp.

Romania, on the other hand, would have been disappointed, especially with their first-half performance. However, they can take some satisfaction in their second-half efforts, as they forced Belgium into unforced errors. Although they had their chances, based on quality and performance, Belgium certainly deserved all three points.



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