Belgium beat Croatia in another round of international friendlies | OneFootball

The heavyweight clash went Belgium’s way, as they showed their class and claimed a 2-0 win over Croatia in their first international friendly ahead of the 2026 World Cup, a match played in the port city of Rijeka in the Balkan nation. Take a look at all the results from this Tuesday, June 2:

With 38 minutes gone in the first half, a burst down the flank by Jeremy Doku allowed captain Youri Tielemans to get in front of his marker in the six-yard box and score with a powerful left-footed strike. Croatia had big chances both before and after the Red Devils broke the deadlock, but they could do nothing to breach Belgium’s rock-solid defense, with Thibaut Courtois between the posts. Deep into the sixth and final minute of stoppage time, a recovery by Axel Witsel allowed Hans Vanaken to send Lukaku through one-on-one, and with great class they made it 2-0, both the provisional and final score just seconds later.

Belgium celebrate Tielemans’ goal that opened the win over Ecuador. (Jurij Kodrun/Getty Images)

On Belgium’s schedule, only one more friendly remains this Saturday against Tunisia before heading to North America, where they will be part of Group G with Iran, Egypt, and New Zealand. They are set to make their debut next Monday, June 15, against the Persian side.

As for Croatia, they will try to put this defeat behind them and arrive at the World Cup in the best possible shape when they face Slovenia this Sunday. As for the World Cup itself, the team that finished third at Qatar 2022 and were runners-up in Russia 2018 are part of Group L, alongside England, Panama, and Ghana, opening their campaign against the Three Lions next Wednesday, June 17.

Morocco was also in action on Tuesday, impressing with a convincing 4-0 win over Madagascar in Rabat, confirming they are one of the teams to watch at the World Cup after their historic fourth-place finish at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

In this way, the Atlas Lions are warming up for what will be a complex group stage in which they will debut against Brazil (Saturday 6/13, at 7 p.m.), then face Scotland (Friday 6/19, at 7 p.m.), and close against Haiti (Wednesday 6/24, at 7 p.m.).

Another African national team in action was Ghana, who drew 1-1 with Wales. The Black Stars struck first, but the Dragons (absent from the World Cup) snatched a dramatic equalizer in Cardiff, a result that leaves a bitter taste for the side that—like Croatia—will be part of Group L. They will open against Panama (Wednesday 6/17, at 8 p.m.), then face England (Tuesday 6/23, at 5 p.m.), and finish against the Balkan side (Saturday 6/27, at 6 p.m.).

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.