“Biggest upset in Euros history” “Belgium is the most overrated team of all time” - X erupts as Slovakia stun Belgium in 1-0 win at Euro 2024
Fans on X have reacted after Slovakia shocked the world with a 1-0 victory against Belgium at Euro 2024 on Monday, June 17. The Red Devils suffered their first group stage loss at the Euros since 2016, when they lost to Italy.
Romelu Lukaku had a golden opportunity to break the deadlock in the third minute after some brilliant work by Jeremy Doku and Kevin De Bruyne. However, the striker's effort was brilliantly saved by Martin Dubravka.
Slovakia took the lead against the run of play four minutes later when a horrible mixup at the back led to Doku giving the ball to Ivan Schranz. The Slovakian winger slotted home the rebound after his first shot was saved by Koen Casteels.
Belgium had multiple opportunities to get back into the game in the first half. However, Lukaku, Amadou Onana, and Leandro Trossard were guilty of squandering their chances. The Chelsea star thought he had equalized in the 56th minute after he found the back of the net, but he was adjusted to have been offside.
Slovakia showed great determination in defense to keep Belgium at bay but had to ride their luck at times, with David Hancko making a goal-line clearance to deny Johan Bakayoko in the 63rd minute. Lukaku found the top corner in the 86th minute, but his effort was ruled out again after Lois Openda was harshly deemed to have handled the ball in the build-up.
Slovakia secured all three points in their Euro 2024 opener to send fans on social media into a frenzy, with the FOX Soccer account posting:
"SLOVAKIA PULLS OFF THE UPSET OVER BELGIUM. The biggest upset in Euros history."
Another fan wrote:
"Belgium is the most overrated team of all time"
Other reactions can be viewed below:
"Belgium's world ranking: 3rd, Slovakia's world ranking: 48th. A SHOCK result at Euro 2024," one fan said.
"Slovakia have won a European Championship game for just the third time in their history: vs. Russia (2016), vs. Poland (2020), vs. Belgium (2024). 48th in the world beats 2nd in the world ranking," another added.
"Lukaku missed four, scored two, got both ruled out. He’s a jinxed man," one fan insisted.
"Lukaku to VAR", one fan posted.
"It’s time for Lukaku and De Bruyne to start learning Arabic," one fan wrote.
"HORRIBLE EURO'S START FOR BELGIUM!" another posted.
"Euros is more difficult than World cup," another claimed.
How did Slovakia fare in their shock Euro 2024 win against Belgium?
Slovakia secured their fourth competitive international win in a row following their 1-0 win against Belgium at Euro 2024. They are currently second in Group E with three points, behind Romania on goal difference. Let's take a look at how they fared against the Red Devils on Monday.
Slovakia had just 39 percent possession compared to Belgium's 61 percent. They also attempted 367 passes with an accuracy of 77 percent, while the latter attempted 573 passes with an accuracy of 85 percent.
Belgium were more industrious in attack, landing 16 shots in total with five being on target (1.91 xG). However, they were unable to take advantage of all their chances. In contrast, Slovakia mustered 10 shots with four being on target, generating 0.59 xG in their Euro 2024 win.