Sweden and Belgium faced off in their qualification match for the UEFA 2024 Euro. Belgium took strong control on the pitch from the jump and Romelu Lukaku found his first goal of three in the 35th minute with a header to the bottom left corner. In the 49th minute, Lukaku scored his second from very close range to the bottom right corner following a corner and assist from Dodi Lukébakio. Sweden’s Zlatan Ibrahimović (Euro qualifier’s oldest player) entered the pitch in the 73d minute and had an excellent, though unsuccessful, header shot from inside the box. Lukaku secured his hat trick in the 82nd minute and Belgium went on to take a 3-0 finish home over Sweden.
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Friends Arena in Stockholm is where Sweden and Belgium will square off today.
The Swedes failed to qualify for the last World Cup.
Belgium crashed out in the group stage.
Here's Sweden, Robin Olsson, the Aston Villa goalkeeper, 33 years old.
63 appearances, 29 shutouts. Victor Lindelof.
Well, they have six players starting from that last game
that we remember them in the World Cup.
Thibaut Courtois lines up a goal. Of course, we know him from Real Madrid.
Get this one underway.
Leaves it. De Bruyne with a cross to the back post.
Settled once.
Well, you want a little bit of a taste of what you can get right here.
Fantastic little move just out wide.
Fox wants to cut it back.
Shot, take him up.
Sweden players say it's a goal.
Reinschreiber from Israel.
Not sure if that goes at all.
Macchio has been a handful.
Slowly looking, curling it.
Boy, he had a good chance for himself.
Macchio floats one up.
And a nice save by Olsson from Belgium.
Fantastic ball from Luca Macchio to that back post.
Again, it's short.
Cross, go.
De Bruyne, in line, nice cut.
De Bruyne to the back post area, headed across.
Nobody there.
Macchio, Castagne.
Cross, Luca Macchio, Lukaku.
Robben and Lukaku.
69th international goal.
And this is just excellent work and patience coming from Belgium.
A fantastic ball that comes in from who, of course,
Luca Macchio at that right winger position.
We talked about that left foot, what he can do with it.
A perfectly placed ball right onto the head of Lukaku.
And really, it's just about redirection.
Just getting enough of a glance onto this header
to redirect the ball right into the side net.
Played in.
It's loose.
Gustafsson scooped up and then wobbled by Courtois.
They're in a situation where they can be more dangerous
than just through the regular flow of play.
We're at the half.
Romelu Lukaku with the game's only goal after the break.
De Bruyne has taken the ball.
To Macchio.
Beats Forsberg.
Played it across and it's afflicted in.
2-0 for Kerebin Lukaku again.
On that scramble in front.
And Luca Macchio gets it.
And it's a matchup that he wants here.
He goes at Forsberg.
He's able to just do the one touch around him.
And look at this, JP.
I think it comes off of his standing foot.
You know, Lukaku reaches for it with the right.
But it's that left foot.
Maybe a little bit of a deflection.
But it was going to go in anyways
because it goes off of Lukaku's left foot right there.
And into the back of the net.
Does hit Lindelof.
This will give us the best look.
That pass, Kobe, beat three players.
Lukaku and company.
Four versus two at the moment.
Trossar in the box.
Cutting, looking, and he tried the shot
but it was blocked out for a corner off Lindelof.
With the push, I wouldn't be surprised
if we do see Zlatan at some point
if they're still down 2-0.
Lukaku.
Settle.
Shot taken.
Lusewski.
For Forsberg.
Nice cut.
Karasko.
In the box.
Looking.
Shooting.
He went near post.
Isak out.
The great Zlatan in.
Oldest player to ever play in a Euro qualifier.
Box.
Looking.
In front.
Lukaku.
Third goal for Lukaku.
As we try to see what happens over here.
Yeah, just two of the Swedish players run into each other.
And it's so close here.
I think that...
Well, here's a good look here at the move.
Here's the move.
The two Swedish players fall into each other.
Bakayoko continues his run.
And then picks out Lukaku.
Standing wide open at the back post.
And it's just a tap in here.
And the only thing that Lukaku has to do is just stay on side.
And you can see, it's not much of a celebration.
But he knows he's open.
Touches it in.
And as of now, it's 3-0 due to that man being in France.
Wide left.
Goodman's side.
To the end line.
Lacrosse.
Zlatan header.
Courtois makes the play.
Hitting the cross in.
And it does go to Zlatan.
But on that one, Zlatan is actually back.
Beyond the four minutes.
And will play no more.
What a game for Lukaku.
He has all three goals in this.
His 69th.
His 70th.
And 71st.
Belgium's first game under new manager Dominic Domenico Tedesco.
And their first game since their World Cup disaster in Qatar.
Which ended poorly for them.
So it's a big performance for Belgium.
Sweden unhappy with what they did today as we turn things back to Jenny in studio.
