September 09, (THEWILL) – Belgium moved to the top of their European Championship qualifying group with a hard-fought 1-0 victory away to Azerbaijan on Saturday.
The winning goal came courtesy of an unlikely source, as Yannick Carrasco inadvertently deflected home Johan Bakayoko’s long-range effort in the 38th minute. The match was played in difficult conditions with Azerbaijan’s poor pitch quality and sweltering temperatures providing a stern test for Belgium. However, despite missing key players, Thibaut Courtois and Kevin De Bruyne, through injury, the Belgian side showed determination to grind out the three points.
Carrasco’s goal came against the run of play with Belgium struggling to create many clear-cut chances up to that point. Romelu Lukaku, making just his second start this season, went close early on when he struck the post. Still, Azerbaijan matched the visitors in every department and Belgium lacked cohesion in attack.
After the goal, Belgium sat back and looked like a team determined to protect their lead than extend it. They had to dig deep late on as the hosts began to apply pressure, hoping to find a leveller. This left cracks at the back and substitute Jeremy Doku almost added a second goal on the counter attack as Belgium looked dangerous on the break.
In the end, Carrasco’s stroke of good fortune was enough to seal victory and send Belgium to the top of Group F, level on points with Austria after four matches. Despite the makeshift team, manager Domenico Tedesco will be satisfied with a resilient performance in difficult conditions.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
