STUTTGART, Germany (AP) — Belgium got the best out of a 0-0 draw at the European Championship on Wednesday, advancing to the last 16 while Ukraine became the first team with four points in a group to be eliminated.
The downside for the Belgians at Euro 2024 is they will next face France and Kylian Mbappe on Monday in Duesseldorf.
All four teams in Group E finished with four points. Romania ended up first, followed by Belgium and Slovakia. Ukraine was last on goal difference.
Romania and Slovakia drew 1-1 in Frankfurt and both advanced to the knockout stage.
Playing at the Euro 2024 against the backdrop of Russia’s invasion, Ukraine came agonizingly close to advancing and will finish with more points than at least one of the four best third-place teams.
The third-ranked Belgians nearly had a different ending when Ukraine substitute Ruslan Malinovskyi tried to score directly from corner late in the match. Belgium goalkeeper Koen Casteels managed to save the effort at the near post.
The Belgian fans booed the team at the end of the game at Stuttgart Arena, while Ukrainian supporters showed their appreciation to the national team.
Ukraine had another good chance to score late in the match when Georgiy Sudakov got through the Belgian defense but shot right at Casteels.
Belgium, which lost to Slovakia in its opening game, struggled to get its offense going again with Romelu Lukaku failing to make the most of his team's best chance in the first half.
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AP Euro 2024: https://apnews.com/hub/euro-2024
The Associated Press
