Belgium bounced back after the opening fiasco.
And after the 2-0 win over Romania, Group E in the European Championship is a real hornet's nest. All teams have three points.
I have the same feeling as against Slovakia, we played well but the difference is that we scored and won, says Belgium's captain Kevin De Bruyne after the win.
After the surprising loss to Slovakia, Belgium was a pressured group favourite ahead of the meeting with Romania in Cologne.
It only took a little over a minute before Youri Tielemans solved some nervous knots for the Belgians. Romelu Lukaku had the ball with his back to the goal and released it to Tielemans, who shot low for 1-0.
Belgium continued well after the goal. A lot of it was about Dodi Lukebakio on the right flank, and he was close to extending to 2-0, but Florin Nita saved.
Hairline offside
Lukebakio was benched in the premiere, but some Swedes probably remember how he had a big show on the flank when Belgium ran over Sweden on Friends in the beginning of the European Championship qualifiers last year.
Then Lukaku scored all three goals – and he has already found the net three times in the European Championship.
The problem?
All three times the goals were disallowed afterwards. Now it was Kevin De Bruyne who found Lukaku deep and the finish was distinct next to the post. But what could have been a 2-0 goal, with a little over an hour played, was annulled due to a hairline offside.
A few minutes later it was almost 1-1, but Dennis Man's finish was reflex-saved by Koen Casteels.
Gold candidate
When 2-0 finally came in the 80th minute, it was captain De Bruyne who got the reward. The Manchester City star was first on a failed Romanian clearance and tapped in the goal that gave Belgium some calm and peace in the final minutes.
Romania's coach Edward Iordanescu gave Belgium praise after the loss:
They have pace, they have explosiveness, power. They are a complete team. They are a candidate to win the title.
Ahead of the final round in Group E, which is played on Wednesday, all four teams have three points each. Belgium will then meet Ukraine, while Romania plays against Slovakia.
