Two Romelu Lukaku goals were ruled out by video review and Belgium fell to a stunning 1-0 loss to Slovakia in wild Group D at the European Championship today.
Slovakia struck with a seventh-minute goal by forward Ivan Schranz then survived a string of misses by Belgium record scorer Lukaku, who had two second-half goals overturned, and all that playmaker Kevin De Bruyne could help create.
Slovakia’s deserved win also was preserved by defender Dávid Hancko’s brave goal-line block that left him sprawled in the goal net with a face injury inflicted by a teammate’s knee.
That came in the 62nd minute, from substitute Johan Bakayoko’s close-range shot, just seven minutes after Lukaku’s first ‘goal’ was overturned when a video review spotted an offside.
The second VAR intervention in the 86th disallowed Lukaku’s powerful shot because of a handball by Loïs Openda before his decisive pass.
