Slovakia Stuns Belgium 1-0 in Euro 2023 Upset

In a stunning upset at the European Championship, Slovakia stunned Belgium 1-0 on June 17, 2023, in a match marred by two disallowed Romelu Lukaku goals.

Slovakia struck early, with Ivan Schranz scoring in the seventh minute after a defensive error by Belgium's Jérémy Doku. Despite Belgium's dominance in possession, they struggled to break down Slovakia's resolute defense, which featured two 37-year-old outfield players.

Lukaku, Belgium's record scorer, had two goals ruled out by video review. His first was overturned for offside, while the second was deemed to have been handled by Loïs Openda before his pass to Lukaku.

Belgium's frustration was compounded by a brave goal-line block from Slovakia's Dávid Hancko, who left the field with a face injury after colliding with a teammate's knee.

Slovakia's victory was their first in the European Championship finals and a triumph for their Italian coach, Francesco Calzona. The win also preserved the record of two 37-year-olds starting a match in the tournament, which could be broken if Portugal selects Cristiano Ronaldo and Pepe on Tuesday.

Belgium, who had won 14 consecutive qualifying matches under Domenico Tedesco, suffered their first loss in 15 games. They now face Romania on Saturday, while Slovakia will take on Ukraine on Friday.

Tags: #Euro2023, #Slovakia, #Belgium, #RomeluLukaku, #VAR