June 17, (THEWILL) – Austria delivered a commendable performance as they secured a crucial away point against Belgium in their Group F European Championship 2024 qualifier at the Stade Roi Baudouin in Brussels on Saturday, halting the hosts’ impressive winning streak in the Group stage.
The hard-fought draw pushed Austria’s tally to seven points from three matches, placing them three points ahead of Belgium, who were contesting their second group game in the race for qualification to next year’s finals in Germany.
The opening goal came in the 21st minute from an Austrian corner, which Michael Gregoritsch connected with a precise strike. Belgium’s midfielder, Orel Mangala, made a clumsy attempt to block the shot with his heel, inadvertently diverting it into his own net past goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. However, in the 61st minute, Romelu Lukaku took full advantage of an opportunity to turn and fire in the equaliser, taking his international goal tally to an impressive 73 goals in 108 appearances.
While Lukaku’s goal extended his remarkable scoring record, it was not enough to prevent an end to Belgium’s streak of 15 consecutive victories in the European Championship qualifiers, a feat that dated back to 2015. Despite Courtois denying Stefan Posch’s attempt to restore Austria’s lead with a diving save, Belgium’s hopes of a stoppage-time winner were thwarted by the crossbar as Youri Tielemans’ strike ricocheted off the woodwork.
The match served as a disappointing home debut for Belgium’s new coach, Domenico Tedesco, whose team now prepares for an away encounter against Estonia on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Austria will be aiming to maintain their lead in Group F when they face Sweden in Vienna on the same night.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
