It couldn’t have been tighter in Group E at Euro 2024 heading into the final games, but neither of these teams were happy with the outcome. Check out the best facts, stats and Opta data with our Ukraine vs Belgium stats page.
Belgium finished second in Group E after an uninspired 0-0 draw with Ukraine, meaning they will face France in the last 16 at Euro 2024.
The excitement everyone expected from a group with all four teams heading into their final games level on points didn’t manifest in Stuttgart. Domenico Tedesco’s side looked devoid of ideas and were somewhat hanging on to their place in the tournament by the end.
Ukraine had moments they will look back on where they could have won it but are out of the tournament on goal difference, despite finishing on four points and level with the other three teams in the group. They’re the first team to be eliminated after the group stage of a 24-team European Championship on four points.
Ukraine named a starting XI with an average age over three years younger than their opponents (25 years, 189 days to 28 years, 193 days). It was the youngest average age for a starting XI at Euro 2024 so far, and Ukraine’s youngest ever average age for a match in the competition.
Serhiy Rebrov made three changes to his lineup from the 2-1 win over Slovakia, with high-profile trio Oleksandr Zinchenko, Mykhailo Mudryk and Andrii Yarmolenko all replaced as Rebrov changed from a 4-2-3-1 to a 5-3-2. Tedesco made just one change from the win against Romania, with Dodi Lukébakio replaced by Leandro Trossard.
Belgium wore their blue and brown away kit, an homage to comic book character Tintin, a Belgian adventurer. Unfortunately for the neutrals watching, there was very little in the way of adventure from them on Wednesday.
It could have been different early on when excellent work from Kevin De Bruyne ended with the Manchester City man feeding Romelu Lukaku, but he couldn’t make a proper connection with his shot despite a promising run in behind.
Jérémy Doku kept receiving the ball in the early moments as the Red Devils tried to find their way through, with Oleksandr Tymchyk being kept busy. The Ukrainian right wing-back attempted four tackles in the opening nine minutes.
Ukraine were a danger on the counter-attack, and had a promising chance in the 27th minute when Artem Dovbyk chased a through ball and beat Wout Faes to it, only for Heorhii Sudakov to blaze his shot over after the Girona striker laid the ball back to him.
Rebrov’s side always looked like a threat, with a lovely move four minutes before half-time leading to a glorious chance for Roman Yaremchuk, but he tried to find Dovbyk instead of shooting and his cross evaded his strike partner. It was goalless at the break, with Belgium not attempting any tackles in the opening period. It was just the second time a team hasn’t attempted a single tackle in the first half of a game at Euro 2024, after England also didn’t in their 0-0 draw with Slovenia on Tuesday. They ultimately attempted four in the game, the fewest by a team in a Euros match on record (since 1980).
Lukaku was denied by an Anatolii Trubin save while substitute Yannick Carrasco chose to go on his own shortly after only to be tackled just before shooting by the industrious Tymchyk.
Lukaku and Carrasco combined well in the 73rd minute with a neat one-two on the edge of the box but Carrasco’s shot was beaten away well by Trubin, while Faes blocked a shot from Dovbyk at the other end moments later as the game began to open up in the final quarter.
Dovbyk hit the side netting before Rebrov turned to Yarmolenko as he moved back to a 4-2-3-1 shape, with his side bottom of the incredibly tight group with 10 minutes remaining.
Lukaku came off having attempted 10 shots at the tournament, the joint-most, with seven on target, the most, but he remains without a goal in Germany this summer.
Belgium didn’t seem to know whether to stick or twist but could have won it late on when a counter-attack ended with substitute Johan Bakayoko bending a shot wide, before Ruslan Malinovskyi – who had already nearly scored straight from a corner – hit a shot at the other end so hard that its blocker, Timothy Castagne, went down in holding his ribs.
The big chance for Ukraine came in the first minute of stoppage time, though, with Sudakov running through the midfield as a gap opened up for him, but his shot was straight at Koen Casteels in the Belgium goal.
As complicated as the permutations in Group E seemed to be heading into Matchday 3, a draw here as well as in the Slovakia and Romania game meant everything stayed as it was. Unfortunately for Ukraine, that led to them heading home.
For Belgium, it means a last-16 clash with France.
Our Opta match centre delivers you all the Ukraine vs Belgium stats from their Euro 2024 Group E clash at Stuttgart Arena.
The match centre below includes team and player stats, expected goals data, passing networks, an Opta chalkboard and more. It gives you everything you need to do your own match analysis.
Underneath the match centre you can find the official Opta stats on the game as well.
Ukraine vs Belgium: Post-Match Facts
- Group E at Euro 2024 is the first group in Euros history to see all four sides win one, draw one and lose one of their three games.
- Ukraine have finished bottom of Group E and are eliminated – they become the first team in European Championship history to win four points in the group stage and finish bottom of the group.
- Belgium have failed to score in four of their last five group stage games at major tournaments (W1 D2 L2) – they had won nine group games in a row before this, scoring 21 times.
- Ukraine have maintained their record at the European Championship of either not scoring (9 games) or scoring exactly two goals (5 games), failing to score in two games and winning the other 2-1 vs Slovakia in 2024.
- Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku has now failed to score in each of his last five group stage matches at major international tournaments (15 shots) – in his previous five, he had scored seven goals from 12 shots.
- Belgium winger Jérémy Doku made 26 dribbles in the Euro 2024 group stages, the most by a player in the group stage since France’s Franck Ribéry at Euro 2012 (32).
- Both Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku made their 25th appearances at major tournaments for Belgium, equalling Thibaut Courtois for the most games at the World Cup and Euros combined.
Enjoy this? Subscribe to our football newsletter to receive exclusive weekly content. You should also follow our social accounts over on X, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.