Belgium scraped into the last 16 of Euro 2024 after a 0-0 draw with Ukraine on Wednesday as all four teams in Group E finished with four points.
Romania took top spot ahead of Belgium after scoring more goals in the group following their 1-1 draw with Slovakia, who also go through as one of the four best third-placed sides. Romania's reward is going into the weaker half of the draw where they will play a third-placed team in Munich, with a full five days of rest before that game on Tuesday.
Belgium supporters reacted furiously at the final whistle in Stuttgart, with captain Kevin De Bruyne appearing to tell his teammates not to go over to acknowledge them as the whistles and jeers grew louder.
They will play France in the next round on Monday in Dusseldorf and have landed themselves on the tougher side of the draw which also features hosts Germany, Spain and Portugal.
Ukraine's brave run came to an agonising end as they became the first team since the tournament increased to 24 teams not to progress with four points. However, in stark contrast to Belgium's rebuke, the Ukrainians were still handed a hero's reception at the end by their band of supporters.
"A strong nation is one that remains united and supports each other at all times. Both in times of defeat and in times of victory," wrote Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky on Telegram. "Today we thank the Ukrainian national football team. Despite the disappointing result, you fought for our country... Glory to Ukraine!"
Ukrainian fans unveiled a banner displaying the portrait of a 21-year-old soldier who died in battle last month, an image generated by artificial intelligence using the photos of 182 football fans also killed in combat.
"Peace has a price. Thousands of football fans have been killed in the war since February 2022," read an accompanying message, referring to the Russian invasion of Ukraine that started two years ago.
Romelu Lukaku, who had three goals ruled out by VAR in his team's first two games of the tournament, scuffed straight at Anatoliy Trubin when well placed after a slick through ball from De Bruyne.
Roman Yaremchuk tested Koen Casteels and he might have given his team the lead if Artem Dovbyk had found him in the area after getting the better of Arthur Theate.
Twice De Bruyne was unhappy with a laser being pointed at his face as he took free-kicks, nearly catching Trubin out at the near post on one occasion.
He had another curling attempt held shortly after Yaremchuk fizzed a pass across the Belgium area while trying to pick out Dovbyk.
Lukaku saw a weak shot smothered by Trubin, who then beat away a much firmer strike from Yannick Carrasco as Belgium chased the goal that would have clinched first place in the group.
Ruslan Malinovskyi's corner left Casteels frantically scooping the ball to safety at his near post as a nervy finish ensued, Ukraine desperately needing a goal that Belgium knew would spell disaster for them.
Johan Bakayoko curled wide for Belgium and Malinovskyi's piledriver was blocked by Timothy Castagne, with Georgiy Sudakov unable to find a way past Casteels in stoppage time as Ukraine's adventure came to an emotional conclusion.
"We knew today, we couldn't fail," said Belgium coach Tedesco after the match. "The message was clear, we wanted to play and try to win. The players tried everything. We can score earlier, we can score more, then many things are easier. I'm proud of my team because they did well at the end – if you concede one goal, you are out."
In the other game, Slovakia took a 24th minute lead when Ondrej Duda directed a powerful header down into the corner of the net.
Razvan Marin leveled in the 37th minute from a penalty awarded after a two-minute review to decide if Ianis Hagi was tripped inside the area.
Romania will now play in the knockout round for the first time since Euro 2000 when Hagi’s father, national soccer icon Gheorghe Hagi, was captain in the No 10 jersey now worn by his son.
"It's incredible, I hope this continues," said coach Edward Iordanescu. "I want to congratulate my players, we found a spirit. We came back today [from 1-0 down], once again, we never give up. We always play with heart, intelligence, balance and we gave everything to win the game."
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre 6-cyl turbo
Power: 435hp at 5,900rpm
Torque: 520Nm at 1,800-5,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Price: from Dh498,542
On sale: now
Persuasion
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ECarrie%20Cracknell%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDakota%20Johnson%2C%20Cosmo%20Jarvis%2C%20Richard%20E%20Grant%2C%20Henry%20Golding%20and%20Nikki%20Amuka-Bird%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
Iran's dirty tricks to dodge sanctions
There’s increased scrutiny on the tricks being used to keep commodities flowing to and from blacklisted countries. Here’s a description of how some work.
1 Going Dark
A common method to transport Iranian oil with stealth is to turn off the Automatic Identification System, an electronic device that pinpoints a ship’s location. Known as going dark, a vessel flicks the switch before berthing and typically reappears days later, masking the location of its load or discharge port.
2. Ship-to-Ship Transfers
A first vessel will take its clandestine cargo away from the country in question before transferring it to a waiting ship, all of this happening out of sight. The vessels will then sail in different directions. For about a third of Iranian exports, more than one tanker typically handles a load before it’s delivered to its final destination, analysts say.
3. Fake Destinations
Signaling the wrong destination to load or unload is another technique. Ships that intend to take cargo from Iran may indicate their loading ports in sanction-free places like Iraq. Ships can keep changing their destinations and end up not berthing at any of them.
4. Rebranded Barrels
Iranian barrels can also be rebranded as oil from a nation free from sanctions such as Iraq. The countries share fields along their border and the crude has similar characteristics. Oil from these deposits can be trucked out to another port and documents forged to hide Iran as the origin.
* Bloomberg
Prop idols
Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.
Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)
An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.
----
Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)
Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.
----
Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)
Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
