Euro 2024: Slovakia unexpectedly make history during shock win over Belgium
Slovakia have delivered Euro 2024's first big shock and made European Championship history in the process
Throughout its history, the European Championship has delivered more than its fair share of shocks.
Greece’s win over hosts Portugal in the final of Euro 2004 gave us the most unlikely winners in the competition’s history, with outsiders Denmark’s Euro 92 triumph over Germany also up there.
Iceland’s Euro 2016 last-16 victory over England was another stunner, as was Wales’ quarter-final win over Belgium that year.
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Statistically, we now have the definitive biggest-ever shock in tournament history. And it involves the Belgians again.
The first three days of Euro 2024 saw traditional big-hitters Germany, Italy, Spain, England and the Netherlands all win their first games, leaving fans wondering where the tournament’s first upset would come.
Step forward Slovakia, who stunned Belgium in their Group E opener in Frankfurt, after Ivan Schranz pounced on an error at the back by Jeremy Doku to score the only goal of the game after just seven minutes.
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Belgium were guilty of spurning a series of chances, with Romelu Lukaku seeing two efforts ruled out by VAR.
And according to the FIFA World Rankings, this goes down as the biggest upset in competition history, with Slovakia currently ranked 48th in the world, compared to Belgium in third place.
The defeat was Belgium’s first since the 2022 World Cup and is the first time a side ranked outside of the top 45 has beaten them in 2010.
After a disappointing group stage exit in Qatar two years ago, the Belgians will need to get results against Romania on Saturday and Ukraine in their final Group E match in order to ensure they do not suffer a similar fate this time around.
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For more than a decade Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor, with stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others. He is the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team.