Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne dazzled last night as Belgium defeated Romania 2-0 at Euro 2024.
Domenico Tedesco’s side took three big points, after losing their opening game against Slovakia, meaning their group is now extremely tight.
Belgium, Slovakia, Ukraine and Romania all have three points after two games, making the final round of fixtures very exciting.
On Saturday night, De Bruyne played a key role in Belgium’s 2-0 win over Romania. The City maestro was everywhere and appeared very fresh, despite some whispers of fatigue.
The captain scored Belgium’s second goal and after the game, he came in for high praise from the ITV punditry team.
Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou was in the ITV studio, and was really impressed with what he saw.
Ange Postecoglou and Ian Wright have the same theory about Man City star Kevin De Bruyne
De Bruyne was a force to be reckoned with at times against Romania.
The 32-year-old seemed to be playing with an increased determination, knowing his country needed him to step up after the defeat in the first game.
He was constantly looking to provide for the forwards, and was brilliant at carrying the ball through the lines. Izzy Christiansen remarked that De Bruyne was ‘unstoppable when he gets the ball and shifts it so quickly’, something he did in the 54th minute
De Bruyne didn’t get to feature much in 2023/24 for City due to the hamstring injury he picked up right at the start.
After returning, he didn’t quite look his usual self – despite somehow still providing 24 goal contributions in 26 games.
Against Romania, he looked refreshed. After the game, Postecoglou said: “It was brilliant. He missed a lot football this year going into this. If anything, maybe he’s getting that little bit of freshness. He didn’t play a lot, he missed a lot through injury.
“You could see tonight, his pressing, his work-rate. He went and played the full 90 minutes. Super impressive goal, great strength and bravery.
Ian Wright added: “He looked very energised all the way through. He looked like he was actually getting strong in the game. If you look at him, he’s the furthest forward there. Maybe he has got a little second wind. He was really good tonight.”
De Bruyne looks determined
De Bruyne has looked really good in Belgium’s first couple of games at Euro 2024.
One does wonder if the lack of football for City as a result of his injury might just be a factor behind this high-octane start from him at Euro 2024.
There is also the notion of this potentially being the final chance for De Bruyne to perhaps guide Belgium to an international trophy. He will be 34 at the time of the next World Cup, and may not be as influential then.
Perhaps he sees this as his tournament. There has been some talk about De Bruyne perhaps being on the decline because of his recent injury problems and the fact he’s about to turn 33.
Potentially, he has caught wind of some of the talk and is determined to silence some of the doubters.