Belgium’s manager, Domenico Tedesco, refused to blame VAR for his team’s shock defeat to Slovakia, despite having two goals ruled out by the video refereeing technology.
Romelu Lukaku was denied on both occasions in the 1-0 loss, the second especially controversial with a cricket-style “snickometer” used to determine whether Loïs Openda had handled the ball in the buildup. Tedesco, who experienced his first defeat in 15 matches as the Red Devils coach at the Frankfurt Arena, said he was upset by the result but wanted to be a “fair loser” in assessing how Slovakia had achieved the win which shook up Group E.
“It’s tough for me to speak now,” Tedesco said. “If we would have won, I could probably share my opinion a little more. But we lost and I want to be a good or at least a fair loser; we shouldn’t be talking about VAR. We trust these guys, we trust the VAR and the referees and if they blow and say it’s handball we have to trust and accept it and that’s that.”
Openda’s handling of the ball was judged to be deliberate by the VAR, meaning Lukaku’s subsequent powerful finish from his cutback was rendered irrelevant. It put the cap on a tortuous night for the striker, who missed numerous chances and saw another goal ruled out for offside. Tedesco insisted he had no concerns over the country’s all-time leading goalscorer.
“He [Lukaku] has been playing for Belgium for a long time and knows very well how to score goals,” Tedesco said. “He’s a top-class player, a great character and he doesn’t need any help on that score. Everyone is disappointed but I think you can harness that and make use of this defeat. We weren’t able to win the game, but there are positives we can take away.”
Belgium had by far the best chances in the match, but Slovakia, having taken the lead through Ivan Schranz’s seventh-minute strike, maintained a hold in the game through some dogged defending and the technical craft of its midfield, led by the man of the match, Napoli’s Stanislav Lobotka.
The 29-year-old said that the key to victory was that the team “were not afraid”. “We had some luck as well and we just have to continue in the same way,” Lobotka added. “We have shown we can compete with anyone.”
After the match, the victorious players enjoyed extended celebrations with the thousands of Slovakian fans in attendance here. “They travelled far to come here and cheered us on from the beginning and especially at the end, and we felt the energy just as we were getting tired,” Lobotka said. “This is what it should always be like because when we pull together we can achieve great things.”
