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Romelu Lukaku's goal was disallowed.

(Bild: AP ( via APA) Austria Presse Agentur/ASSOCIATED PRESS)

A disgraceful start to the European Championship for co-favorites Belgium. The "Red Devils" were beaten 1:0 by Slovakia on Monday. Two goals from Romelu Lukakau had been disallowed, a "bullshit decision" for expert Gary Lineker.

The Belgian camp is in a hangover mood and yet confident after the opening defeat in the European Championship against a strong Slovakia. Although it was the first time under Domenico Tedesco as coach of the Belgian team that the "Rode Duivels" (Red Devils) left the pitch as losers. "I knew beforehand that we would lose a game. I would have preferred to lose one of the last games," said Tedesco after the 1-0 defeat to the Slovakians on Monday evening in Frankfurt.

Lukaku "mentally strong"
The 38-year-old took over as coach of the Red Devils in February 2023. Despite the defeat, Tedesco emphasized that he could not hold much against his team. "The only thing that wasn't perfect were the missed chances." Striker Romelu Lukaku in particular cut an unfortunate figure. "I don't need to raise him. He's been with us for many, many years and at the highest level," said Tedesco after the attacker had missed several promising opportunities. "He's strong, he's mentally strong, he has a strong character."

(Bild: AP ( via APA) Austria Presse Agentur/ASSOCIATED PRESS)

In addition, two of Lukaku's goals were disallowed after video review - one due to a minimal offside position, the second due to a handball by Leipzig striker Loïs Openda before the supposed equalizer. Opinions differed on the second disallowed goal in particular. "It's difficult to talk about. If we had won, I could be more honest about my opinion. I want to be a fair loser, so I don't want to talk so much about the referee," said Tedesco. He trusts the video assistant referee (VAR). "If that's their decision, we have to accept it."

Former professionals had less understanding for the decision. "For me, it's not a punishable handball. If we blow the whistle, that's bitter for the Belgians. I don't think it should be taken back. I think there is a margin of discretion here, which the referee unfortunately did not exercise," commented Michael Ballack on MagentaTV after the match. England's Gary Lineker even wrote via X, formerly Twitter, of a "bullshit decision".

Positive things
It won't be any easier for the Belgians, who actually went into the European Championships as co-favorites. In their second group game next Saturday at 9pm, they will be under massive pressure against leaders Romania, especially as the Romanians performed convincingly against Ukraine. For Tedesco, however, that is no reason to get restless. "What I've seen or felt makes me feel very, very positive," said the former Schalke and Leipzig coach.

(Bild: VIRGINIE LEFOUR)

Captain Kevin De Bruyne had a similar view: "Our second half was better. We created chances, pushed them back and didn't concede much. We didn't play badly, we just didn't score. Of course, we now need to be more efficient in our second game." Openda, whose hand meant Lukaku's equalizer was disallowed, was also confident: "We won't be going up against Romania with a knife between our teeth. We know how to play well, as we did in qualifying (including a win and a draw against Austria). There's no pressure, we have the quality, the mentality and the confidence in our group. It will be good."

Personnel worries
The Slovaks, who are number 48 in the FIFA world rankings and beat the number three, were naturally on a high. "The smaller nations have made progress. And we can cause problems for the more established countries. But there's still a big gap," said Slovakian team boss Francesco Calzona, not wanting to overestimate his team's success. "We are a small country. And it's not easy to find staff, we have some problems in some areas," said the native Italian, who has also been coach of SSC Napoli since February.

Nevertheless, Calzona praised his team: "It's a great win, but we have to keep working. We're looking ahead to the next games: We have to score the same way in these matches to achieve our goal and progress." Gold goalscorer Ivan Schranz spoke of a deserved success. "We put in an excellent and disciplined performance. It's one of life's goals to win at a European Championship, which makes the victory even better," he explained.