Belgium’s De Bruyne Celebrates Milestone Appearance with Goal in 2-0 Victory over Montenegro
Kevin De Bruyne made his 100th appearance for Belgium memorable by scoring a goal to help his team secure a 2-0 victory over Montenegro in Brussels. The win came in the first of two friendlies before Belgium’s European Championship campaign.
De Bruyne, serving as Belgium’s captain, found the back of the net with a long-range strike just before halftime, taking advantage of a defensive mix-up that left Montenegro’s goalkeeper stranded.
Montenegro’s English-born goalkeeper, Matija Sarkic, put on an impressive display throughout the first half, making a series of remarkable saves to keep Belgium’s quick-paced attack at bay. However, he was unable to stop De Bruyne’s milestone goal.
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Leandro Trossard sealed the victory for Belgium with a penalty in stoppage time, doubling the scoreline and ensuring a comfortable win for his team.
Despite Sarkic’s efforts, Belgium’s relentless attack continued in the second half, with debutant Maxim De Cuyper coming close to scoring, only to be denied by another brilliant save from the Montenegro goalkeeper.
Montenegro had a chance to equalize through Milutin Osmajic, who exploited the lack of pace in Axel Witsel, making his return to the Belgian squad at the age of 35. However, Osmajic’s effort was saved by Belgium goalkeeper Koen Casteels.
Montenegro’s hopes of salvaging a draw were dashed when Milos Brnovic received a second yellow card in the 88th minute, reducing his team to ten men. Moments later, a foul by substitute Stefan Mugosa led to a late penalty for Belgium, which Trossard confidently converted.
De Bruyne was substituted at halftime as Belgium made several changes to give playing time to other squad members ahead of their Euro 2024 campaign. They will face Luxembourg in another warm-up friendly before heading to Germany for the tournament.
Belgium’s first match at Euro 2024 will be against Slovakia on June 17, followed by fixtures against Romania and Ukraine in Group E.