Belgium coach Domenico Tedesco took home vital lessons from the 2-0 win over Montenegro in their Euro 2024 warm-up match on June 5. Despite the win, Tedesco recognized areas needing improvement, particularly with the team’s shape and structure.
Kevin De Bruyne, celebrating his 100th cap, opened the scoring in Brussels. Leandro Trossard sealed the win with a stoppage-time penalty. Despite the comfortable scoreline, the performance left much to be desired ahead of the Euro 2024 tournament in Germany.
“I learned a lot today,” Tedesco said. “With all the changes I made, it was harder to maintain our structure after the break. We struggled initially, but after 75 minutes, things improved.”
The Belgians started strong but faced a tough challenge from Montenegro’s goalkeeper, Matija Sarkic. De Bruyne, returning after a year-long absence due to a hamstring injury, found the net just before halftime.
“I’m happy to be back,” De Bruyne shared. “It’s been a long time. Playing my 100th cap here in Belgium is special. Scoring felt great. We deserved the lead in the first half, but substitutions made things tricky in the second half. We need to build rhythm. There were good moments and moments we need to improve.”
Looking ahead, Tedesco aims to tweak his strategy. “For the next match against Luxembourg, Romelu Lukaku will get some minutes,” he confirmed. “I’ll also make fewer substitutions. Six changes at halftime disrupted our flow.”
In other Euro 2024 warm-up action, Christian Eriksen scored a spectacular late winner to secure Denmark’s 2-1 victory over Sweden at Parken Stadium. Eriksen’s performance, highlighted by his 86th-minute strike, reinforced his role as Denmark’s key playmaker.
Belgium and Denmark are sharpening their squads, readying for the challenges of Euro 2024. With final preparations underway, both teams aim to fine-tune their tactics and build momentum for the championship in Germany.
