No U21 European Championships for Belgium after aggregate loss to Czechia | OneFootball

Belgium will not be represented in Slovakia next summer at the U21 European championships. The side could only draw 1-1 away to Czechia, meaning they lost 3-1 on aggregate. Jarne Steuckers had brought the side back into the game after 51 minutes, but after a Zeno Van Den Bosch own goal with just over 10 minutes to go, the young Red Devils had very little chance of qualification.

The side boasts plenty of top players from the Belgian Pro League, as well as the likes of Lucas Stassin from Saint-Etienne and Mandela Keita of Parma. They would have expected to qualify for the tournament and will be disappointed that they haven’t been. The side finished second in their qualification group to Spain, although they were nine points behind the leaders. They only finished three points ahead of both Scotland and Hungary. Czechia finished just behind Denmark, level on points with Wales.

Its been a tough week for the Belgian national team at U21 and senior level. The senior side lost to Israel to end a disappointing Nations League campaign, which has led to some to call for the dismissal of head coach Domenico Tedesco.

GBeNeFN | Ben Jackson – Author of The Africa Cup of Nations: The History of an Underappreciated Tournament