Kevin De Bruyne’s status as a member of Belgium’s ‘Golden Generation’ and the enduring quality he displays at an elite level were once again underlined on a thrilling and glamorous evening in Cologne.
Belgium has been stung by failing to live up to expectations at previous major tournaments despite being loaded with world-class talent, most notably failing to reach the knockout stages of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
And after their opening group game of Euro 2024, a loss to Slovakia, ranked 45th in the world, old accusations were raised again.
The format of the tournament made the group stage somewhat less dangerous, giving Belgium some room to act after their shock defeat and knowing a win against Romania was essential.
Against this backdrop, and with the pressure mounting, De Bruyne produced a masterful performance to right the honour of scoring the decisive goal to secure a 2-0 victory and lift Belgium’s campaign.
The responsibility he bears was underlined when a horde of red-clad Belgium fans rose to their feet towards the Manchester City midfielder as he came out to warm up. It was a night when he was expected to deliver.
If Youri Tielemans eased some early nerves with a low shot past Romania goalkeeper Florin Nita after 73 seconds, it was the 32-year-old De Bruyne who ensured Belgium’s dominance throughout the match.
The stadium was bursting with colour and pulsating with deafening noise even before kick-off, and the match was worthy of the fantastic atmosphere.
Cologne was decked out in red and yellow all day and a message from “Carpathian Maradona” Gheorghe Hagi was beamed onto a big screen before kick-off, sending the Romanian fans into a frenzy.
The game was wild, open and hard-fought, with De Bruyne dominating the rest of the field.
The nature of the game created space and gave the Belgian playmaker room to play, an opportunity he could not afford to miss.
De Bruyne set the tone in the first half with some slalom-like running, forcing the Romanians on their tails and Dodi Lukebakio failing to capitalise.
Even when the game was hectic, De Bruyne had the ability and composure to seem to have more time on the ball than anyone else, especially in a disastrous second half.
He forced a superb save from Nita, then crossed into the six-yard box and produced a sumptuous pass, full of imagination and vision, that sliced through the Romanian defence for Romelu Lukaku to calmly slot home.
Given Lukaku’s poor luck so far at Euro 2024, the video assistant referee inevitably ruled it a narrow offside, and the tireless striker continued his attempts to score his first goal of the tournament.
Not a problem for De Bruyne.
He refused to give up and with 11 minutes to go, he shook off the attention of the Romanian defence, slotted past Nita and slotted home a goal worthy of his performance.
Belgium’s victory was well deserved. With Tielemans in goal, Belgium played with intensity, verve and menace, proving why they are ranked third in the world and still regarded as one of the favourites to win the tournament.
After overcoming the disappointment of losing to Slovakia, Group E was tightly contested and for the first time in European Championship history, all four teams will go into the final round with three points.
Belgium’s performance heralded their official qualification for Euro 2024, but it was De Bruyne’s play that was the most eye-catching, with the quality of his contributions defying whispers of a decline that included rumours of a move to Saudi Arabia.
De Bruyne’s play was designed to boost Belgium’s confidence ahead of their final group game against Ukraine, and they must build on this victory rather than revert to old ways.
It was another tough night for Lukaku, who, although there was no lack of effort, was unlucky when it mattered.
The manner in which he scored the cancelled goal at least suggested better things to come, but the reaction of his teammates showed how desperate they were to see him extend his unbeaten run.
There are no such worries for De Bruyne, who has proven himself a class act responsible for Belgium’s hopes of progressing well at Euro 2024.
