Belgium outclassed Finland 2-0 on Monday to continue their perfect start to Euro 2020 and finish top of Group B, leaving the Finns facing a nervous wait to see if they can sneak into the last 16.
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A much-changed Belgium side dominated the game but only found a breakthrough in the 74th minute courtesy of an own goal from keeper Lukas Hradecky, who fumbled a Thomas Vermaelen header over the line after it had crashed off the woodwork.
Striker Romelu Lukaku clinched the victory in the 83rd minute by swivelling to thump home a Kevin de Bruyne pass and score his third goal of the tournament.
Belgium, who became the third team after Italy and the Netherlands to win all three group games, will face one of the third-placed sides in Seville on 27 June.
Denmark, second in Group B after their 4-1 win over Russia on Monday, will play Wales in Amsterdam on 26 June.
Finland, who came third with three points, must wait until the end of the group stage to see if their adventure in a first ever major tournament will continue and they need a series of results to go their way if they are to make the last 16.
"It was a tough game today. We knew that Finland would play very compact and would be difficult to break down. But from the moment we scored, we knew they had to come out and it was more open," Belgium midfielder De Bruyne said.
Finland keeper Hradecky was proud of his side's showing in the three games but not confident about their prospects of going through.
"The third place doesn't comfort us at this moment," he said.
"We have come a long way together. The guys have blocked dozens, if not hundreds, of shots, and I’ve caught some. We win as a team and we lose as a team. The journey continues. We will be coming back. Finland belongs in the major tournaments."
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BELGIUM TALENT
Belgium coach Roberto Martinez made changes from the side that beat Denmark 2-1 but his was still a line-up bursting with world-class talent as Eden Hazard and De Bruyne made their first starts of the tournament.
Teenager Jeremy Doku was their liveliest threat and created the only real moment of danger before halftime when he drifted in from the left wing and aimed a shot towards the bottom corner but Hradecky made a fine save.
Finland defended resolutely but did not have a real chance of their own until after the hour mark when Glen Kamara fired straight at Thibaut Courtois.
Hazard was denied by a big save from Hradecky and Belgium thought they had taken the lead when Lukaku controlled a threaded pass from De Bruyne and celebrated the goal before a lengthy VAR review ruled him fractionally offside.
Finland finally cracked under the pressure when Hradecky turned the ball over the line after Vermaelen's thumping header from a corner struck the post.
Lukaku then used a combination of skill and power to seal the victory and continue his prolific start to the tournament, joining Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, Czech Republic's Patrik Schick and the Netherlands' Georginio Wijnaldum on three goals.
MATCH FACTS
- Finland suffered their first defeat to Belgium since October 1968 in a World Cup qualifier, ending a seven-game unbeaten run against the Belgians (W4 D3).
- Belgium have won all three group games at back-to-back major tournaments (2018 World Cup & EURO 2020), while this is the first time they have won all of their group games at a single European Championship tournament.
- Belgium have scored in 33 consecutive matches in all competitions since losing the 2018 World Cup semi-final vs France (0-1).
- There have been six own goals scored at EURO 2020, twice as many than in any previous edition of the competition (3 in 2016).
- Finland’s Lukás Hrádecky became just the second goalkeeper in European Championship history to score an own goal after Wojciech Szczesny for Poland vs Slovakia also at EURO 2020.
- Since making his major international tournament debut for Belgium in 2014, Romelu Lukaku has scored 10 goals in such competitions (EURO’s + World Cup) – only Cristiano Ronaldo and Antoine Griezmann have scored more major tournament goals for a European nation during this period (11 each).
- Since the start of the 2018 World Cup, Belgium’s Kevin De Bruyne has more assists at major international tournaments (EURO’s + World Cup) than any other player (4).
- Belgium’s Axel Witsel had the first attempt on goal of the game in the 23rd minute, with only two European Championship matches having a longer wait for a first shot on goal since the start of the 1980 tournament (when we started collecting shot data); Greece vs Spain in 2004 (26 minutes) and Portugal vs Croatia in 2016 (25 minutes).
- Jéremy Doku (19y & 25d) became the second youngest player to appear for Belgium at a European Championship tournament after Enzo Scifo, who was 18 years & 115 days old when making his EURO’s debut against Yugoslavia in 1984.