Youri Tielemans kickstarted Belgium's Euro 2024 campaign as the Aston Villa midfielder's goal after just 73 seconds inspired a crucial 2-0 win against Romania on Saturday.
Domenico Tedesco's side would have been facing elimination if they had suffered a second successive Group E defeat having been upset by Slovakia in their opening game.
But Tielemans' second-minute strike in Cologne eased fears of yet another major tournament flop from star-studded Belgium. What followed afterwards was a much-improved display against a dangerous Romanian side.
Kevin De Bruyne, who was impressive throughout, wrapped up the points in the closing stages to leave all four teams in the group level on three points.
The stage is set for a dramatic final round of fixtures in the battle to reach the last 16. Belgium face Ukraine, and Romania play Slovakia on June 26.
With 45 places separating the two nations in Fifa's rankings, third-placed Belgium's 1-0 loss to Slovakia on Monday was the biggest upset in European Championship history.
Romania, ranked in 47th, competed gamely as they chased their own shock, but this time Belgium's extra class proved decisive.
Having exited at the group stage of the 2022 World Cup and lost in the quarter-finals of the last two Euros, Belgium have given themselves fresh hope of finally delivering on their vast potential.
Romania had powered to an impressive 3-0 win against Ukraine on Monday - their first victory in a major tournament since beating England at Euro 2000.
Despite this loss, Edward Iordanescu's team are still in contention to make the Euro knockout stage for the first time in 24 years.
Belgium had failed to score in over 300 minutes at major tournaments since netting against Canada at the last World Cup.
They needed less than two minutes to end that drought. A sweeping move culminated in Jeremy Doku's pass finding Romelu Lukaku in the Romania penalty area and he laid the ball back to Tielemans, who smashed a low strike past Florin Nita from the edge of the area.
Romania's Tottenham defender Radu Dragusin went close to equalising moments later with a towering header that Koen Casteels tipped over at full stretch.
After an injury-plagued season with Manchester City, in which he failed to reach his usual sky-high standards, De Bruyne had looked below his best against Slovakia.
The Belgium captain was far more influential this time, with a lung-bursting surge that ended with a pass to Dodi Lukebakio, whose strike was pushed away by Nita.
Doku was denied by another good stop from Nita after wriggling through the over-worked Romania defence.
Valentin Mihaila wasted a golden opportunity to equalise soon after half-time, pouncing on Amadou Onana's wayward pass and sprinting clear, only to blaze high into the stands.
De Bruyne was moving through the gears ominously, curling just past the far post from 20 yards, then drawing a smart save from Nita with a shot on the turn.
Lukaku had two goals, including a late equaliser, disallowed by VAR against Slovakia.
The striker was denied by VAR again in the 63rd minute when he converted De Bruyne's pass before being ruled narrowly offside.
Romania nearly profitted from that escape as Dennis Man raced clear, but couldn't find the accuracy to beat Casteels.
De Bruyne finally delivered the knockout blow in the 80th minute, running onto Casteels' long punt and firing past Nita.
Children who witnessed blood bath want to help others
Aged just 11, Khulood Al Najjar’s daughter, Nora, bravely attempted to fight off Philip Spence. Her finger was injured when she put her hand in between the claw hammer and her mother’s head.
As a vital witness, she was forced to relive the ordeal by police who needed to identify the attacker and ensure he was found guilty.
Now aged 16, Nora has decided she wants to dedicate her career to helping other victims of crime.
“It was very horrible for her. She saw her mum, dying, just next to her eyes. But now she just wants to go forward,” said Khulood, speaking about how her eldest daughter was dealing with the trauma of the incident five years ago. “She is saying, 'mama, I want to be a lawyer, I want to help people achieve justice'.”
Khulood’s youngest daughter, Fatima, was seven at the time of the attack and attempted to help paramedics responding to the incident.
“Now she wants to be a maxillofacial doctor,” Khulood said. “She said to me ‘it is because a maxillofacial doctor returned your face, mama’. Now she wants to help people see themselves in the mirror again.”
Khulood’s son, Saeed, was nine in 2014 and slept through the attack. While he did not witness the trauma, this made it more difficult for him to understand what had happened. He has ambitions to become an engineer.
The specs
Common to all models unless otherwise stated
Engine: 4-cylinder 2-litre T-GDi
0-100kph: 5.3 seconds (Elantra); 5.5 seconds (Kona); 6.1 seconds (Veloster)
Power: 276hp
Torque: 392Nm
Transmission: 6-Speed Manual/ 8-Speed Dual Clutch FWD
Price: TBC
Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Company Profile
Company name: NutriCal
Started: 2019
Founder: Soniya Ashar
Based: Dubai
Industry: Food Technology
Initial investment: Self-funded undisclosed amount
Future plan: Looking to raise fresh capital and expand in Saudi Arabia
Total Clients: Over 50
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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