Belgian journalists were dissatisfied with the Belgian national team's performance and called Tedesco's plan for the match with Ukraine "incomprehensible." No one understood why the Red Devils were desperately trying to hold on to a draw when they had a great opportunity to win and take first place. They are also disappointed that Belgium will play France in the last 16 of the European Championship, which will be very difficult to beat.
Ukraine received a lot of nice words. Rebrov's team was praised for its will to win and good play, and it was noted that it should be a shame for the Ukrainians not to advance to the next round with 4 points.
"The Pale Devils are trembling before Ukraine's game, but they keep the score tied and advance to France," a journalist for the popular Sporza magazine played on Belgium's nickname quite harshly. He turned the team's name from "red devils" to "pale devils" to emphasize that the team is not living up to its formidable nickname.
"Winning the group was within reach, but Belgium didn't seem to want to receive a gift from Slovakia and Romania. In the match against Ukraine, the strikingly pale Red Devils flinched and ended the match in a 0-0 draw. A result with which national coach Tedesco seemed pleased as he made surprisingly conservative changes. Belgium seemed to be afraid of losing, but could have conceded a goal several times. Now they have to prepare for a clash with one of the tournament favorites, France.
In the final stage of the match, the Red Devils found themselves on the verge of elimination from the tournament several times. First, Koen Kastels prevents Malinowski from scoring a great goal with a direct kick from a corner. Then Kastan blocks a cannonball by the same Malinowski, and Sudakov "forgets" to punish the Belgians in extra time, passing Tedesco's half.
Cohen Castells had to fill the void left by Thibaut Courtois at this European Championship. Today, the goalkeeper played a crucial role and justified Tedesco's trust. It was Castells who became the best player of the match for Belgium, which clearly shows how this game was going for Tedesco's team.
For the first time, four teams finished with the same number of points, and Serhiy Rebrov's team finished last in the group with four points. Ukraine holds the dubious honor of being the first team to fail to qualify for the playoffs with 4 points. Romania won the group for the first time at the European Championships."
"The Devils are still not shining at the European Championships," a journalist from the Voetbalnieuws website criticized Belgium for its poor performance and lack of will to win. Although in the parallel match, everything was going well for Tedesco's team.
"On Wednesday night, the Red Devils reached the last 16 of the European Championship. The result, which should have pleased everyone, caused conflicting feelings among the fans. Belgium played a very controversial match with Ukraine, but a 0-0 draw was enough to take second place in the group. As a result, the next round will see a meeting with France. Did Belgium really want this, or could it not change the situation on the field in a match with powerful Ukraine?
"The Red Devils knew in advance what they had to do. After all, only if they won the group did they have a chance to avoid falling to one of their formidable opponents in the next round. To do this, they needed a favorable result in the Slovakia-Romania game anyway. Everything was going well there. But first of all, something had to be done against Ukraine. And here Belgium had problems. While in the first half Tedesco's team was still attacking and willing to score a goal, in the second half they did not hesitate to constantly return the ball to the goalkeeper. But even this cautious play did not help avoid dangerous moments. At least three times the Ukrainians could have scored a goal if not for Castells' excellent play. The goalkeeper helped keep the scoreboard zero, but it will be even more difficult in the match against France. And here Belgium will not be a favorite."
"Ukraine made the Belgians nervous," the Voetbalkrant journalist is disappointed with the game of Belgium, which did not want to beat the Ukrainians, but only dreamed of a draw that would allow it to remain in second place. This is clearly not the result that everyone expected from Belgium.
"The national team coach, Domenico Tedesco, retained confidence in the players who secured the victory over Romania, with the exception of one substitution. Luquebacio was disqualified, so Leandro Trossard took his place. For the Belgians, the match could have started perfectly, just like against Romania. Kevin De Bruyne found a great chance for Lukaku in just the 7th minute, but he shot the ball past the goal, missing another chance to score a goal at this Euro.
What followed raised many questions. The active game against Romania was over, the match against Ukraine was more like an evening walk. Little movement, too little pace and too many misunderstandings. The Ukrainians did manage to create several dangerous moments in front of Koen Kastels' goal. The Belgian goalkeeper saved shots from Yaremchuk and Sudakov, and shortly before the break Yaremchuk's shot almost went in. On the Belgian side, we hardly noticed any danger at the goal.
The second half did not bring any improvements. The pace remained low, and possession of the ball did not turn into opportunities. "The Devils were not even able to capitalize on the Ukrainians' mistakes in defense. After a stupid loss of the ball, De Bruyne sent Lukaku to the striking position, but his decision again turned out to be very strange. Carrasco, who came on as a substitute, was unable to step up the game. He made the wrong decisions and lost the ball.
On the other hand, it took a great save from Fas to prevent a 0-1 score, and Castells had to do everything in his power when Malinowski sent a corner right into the goal. In the last minute, Sudakov had another great opportunity, but Koen Kastels stood up, although there were many questions for the defenders in that episode. No one wanted to stop Sudakov, as if afraid of earning a free kick or penalty. A depressing 0-0 draw, which is good enough for second place in the group, but now we have a tough task ahead of us - we have to play France in the next round."