Belgium had to settle for the second place in Group E after being held to a goalless draw by Ukraine. Romania advanced into the knockout stage as group winner and Slovakia also book a place after the two teams drew 1-1.
BERLIN, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Belgium advanced into the round of last 16 despite a goalless draw with eliminated Ukraine, while Romania and third-placed Slovakia progressed after a 1-1 draw in the last round of group play on Wednesday.
The Red Devils were on the front foot and produced the first opportunity of the clash in the seventh minute when Kevin De Bruyne danced through Ukraine's defense before feeding Romelu Lukaku, who couldn't beat goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin from a promising position.
Ukraine grew into the game and chanced its luck with long-range efforts as Roman Yaremchuk and Artem Dovbyk tested custodian Koen Casteels.
Belgium nearly marked the opener at the half hour, but De Bruyne's free kick rattled only the side netting.
After the restart, chances remained a rare occurrence as Belgium dominated possession but lacked in ideas whereas Ukraine missed the finishing touch.
Lukaku unleashed a weak shot on target while Ukraine pressed for the winner, which would lift them into the last 16, as Ruslan Malinovskyi's direct corner attempt almost caught Casteels flat-footed before Georgiy Sudakov couldn't finish his solo run.
"We knew today that we couldn't fail. We can score earlier, we can score more, then many things are easier. I'm proud of my team because they did well at the end. If you concede one goal, you are out," said Belgium coach Domenico Tedesco.
"Unfortunately, we did not qualify because of the first game, which we lost to Romania. I'm grateful for how the players responded against Slovakia. We showed that we were trying to win this game, and there were enough good moments," said Ukraine coach Serhiy Rebrov.
In the other Group E clash, Slovakia and Romania played out a 1-1 stalemate as Razvan Marin canceled out Ondrej Duda's opener.
With the results, Romania advanced as group winners, followed by Belgium, Slovakia and Ukraine (all with four points). ■
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