Nottingham Forest star Matz Sels was handed the chance to stake his claim for a number one spot with Belgium at Euro 2024 yesterday. It would seem as though the goalkeeper did his chances no harm with one brilliant moment during the match.
It was Sels against Andrew Omobamidele yesterday as Belgium travelled to Dublin to take on the Republic of Ireland. The twoForest players lined up against each other as both got invaluable game time for their countries.
Sels signed for Forest in January. He’s quickly established himself as the number one custodian and looks like keeping that title until the end of the season at the very least.
Forest opted to sign Sels from Strasbourg amid a number of errors from Matt Turner, with the USMNT stopper drawing criticism from Shay Given after the Reds lost to Arsenal.
Belgian media react to performances of Forest star Matz Sels
Well, it would appear as though the 32-year-old did his chances of starting at Euro 2024 no harm at all. Thibaut Courtois is the regular number one but he’s now injured and looks set to miss the summer tournament.
Sels was called into action during the 28th minute of this one when the Republic of Ireland were awarded a penalty. Evan Ferguson stepped up but saw his spot kick saved by the Forest man.
The Belgian media were extremely impressed with the player’s performance. They felt Forest star Sels did a decent job and scored him a 7/10 for his showing in the Irish capital.
Het Nieuwsblad said: ‘Wanted to score points in the absence of Casteels with a view to the European Championship. Did that by stopping a penalty before the break. Never got into any problems.’
Sels will want to finish season with a flourish
It does feel almost certain as though the goalkeeper will be heading to Euro 2024 with Belgium. Regular backup for Courtois, Koen Casteels, was absent yesterday hence why Sels got the nod.
The Forest man will be pleased he’s getting exposure to Premier League football and Sels showed a lot of confidence during the game yesterday.
Sofa Score showcased that he actually did more than just save the penalty. He also finished the game with a pass accuracy of 84%, completing five accurate long passes and making three recoveries.
Sels will definitely be keeping the Forest gloves just as long as he stays fit. Returning to Forest with a penalty save under his belt is a big deal and now he will hope to play against England on Tuesday night.
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