2024 European Championship qualifiers: Red Devils fail to get past Austria

Belgium were held to a draw by Austria on Saturday night in their European Championship qualifier. Romelu Lukaku's equaliser earned them a point after a poor display.

The Red Devils were without Kevin De Bruyne and Onana Vertonghen, with coach Domenico Tedesco choosing to start with Youri Tielemans, Orel Mangala and Leander Dendoncker in his first home game. Jeremy Doku also started, while Romelu Lukaku was handed the captain's armband.

Expectations were high at the sold-out King Baudouin Stadium after the Devils had made a fine start to their European Championship qualifying campaign, beating Sweden 3-0 and Germany 3-2. Austria, however, were not an easy opponent and led 1-0 at the break.

At half-time, Eden Hazard took to the pitch to greet fans one last time following his retirement from the national team after the World Cup in Qatar in December. He made 125 appearances for the Red Devils, playing in three World Cups and two European Championships and scoring 33 goals.

That moment of celebration was just the push Belgium needed to start the second half. They piled on the pressure and Lukaku scored on the hour to earn a point. They now face Estonia in Tallinn on Tuesday night. Austria remain top of Group F, with Belgium second.

^{© BELGA PHOTO KRISTOF VAN ACCOM}