Belgium 0-1 Slovakia - Euro 2024 RECAP: Live score, team news and updates as Romelu Lukaku's bad day continues as he has TWO goals ruled out after spurning three first-half chances with Red Devils going in search of equaliser

... but today's action isn't over yet!

You can follow along with tonight's showpiece affair as France meet Austria in Dusseldorf, via the link below.

So you can relive history-making Slovakia's smash-and-grab as it happened, below.

Perhaps not how we might have expected things to look at the end of the first day in the group...

... and VAR went their way, naturally, Belgium were wasteful in front of goal and will rue not taking their myriad chances.

Belgium may not have underestimated Slovakia entirely, but both Lukaku and Doku should have found the back of the net, for starters, and the team's profligacy will have undoubtedly spurred on Calzona's side.

Blasted innovations, Openda and Lukaku are likely thinking. They've been rumbled by the extra-special Euro 2024 ball, which is embedded with a chip to detect sound frequencies.

No doubt there was a sharp spike in the face of the loud French expletives shouted by whichever Belgium player was holding the ball when that equaliser was ruled out.

There are still group stage games to be played, but there should be no shortage of excitement in the wake of this statement win. Slovakia were punchy, took their chances, and had a sufficient amount of hardiness when Belgium were on top.

This is their biggest international win against such highly ranked opponent since the World Cup in 2010, when they beat Italy 3-2.

And to think... Calzona would have been content with the draw!

Openda's handball will doubtless be picked over by heartbroken Belgium fans, with the argument of whether his hand was in an unnatural position when hit by the ball.

By the letter of the law, the Belgium winger was rightly penalised. But where are the arms supposed to be, sprinting down the left flank while tussling with a dogged defender?

This is the biggest upset in European Championship history, due to the disparity of their FIFA rankings.

Belgium are ranked third. Slovakia, 48th.

The Slovakians in the stands are whistling, urging the referee to blow early. They are tantalisingly close now, and on the pitch, their compatriots are all over a mentally-drained Belgium.

Perhaps no longer trusting his forwards, De Bruyne takes matters into his own hands as he rounds his way into the box and fires at Dubravka. He squats low, and makes the straight-forward save.

Cue the Slovakian cramp! There's some performative stretching from Duda on the sidelines, while Obert is readied to replace him.

The heart bleeds for Belgium, having celebrated the equaliser twice, but they must hunker down and try and find it in the seven additional minutes before time.

Can it be third time's a charm for Lukaku?

The referee is sent to the monitor to look at Openda, waiting for the ball to fall, before it springs up and hits his fingers.

The replay is more and more ominous in slow motion, but the referee is taking his time to assess whether the fingertips are unnaturally placed...

AND IT'S GONE! ARE BELGIUM HEXED?

Lukaku finally has his goal!

Openda shows his worth as a substitute as he picks up a clever ball on the left and shimmies down the wing. Cutting into the centre, he fires towards Lukaku in the box - and he wallops it past Dubravka.

... and here comes the VAR check! They're looking at a handball from Openda in the build-up...

Carrasco and Doku are hooked for Openda and Lukebakio in the next round of changes for Tedesco - who will hope they don't have the same immediate impact as Tielemans.

Commentator's curse strikes again! Lukebakio does just that, plunging his studs into Hancko's foot as he makes a brief foray into the Slovakia box. These substitutes have been incorrectly briefed...

Lofty Onana is again the man for the header when De Bruyne fires a corner his way, but the Everton midfielder can't control the ball down, and Dubravka doesn't have to move much as it rolls out.

Another change for Slovakia, after that: goalscorer/national hero (if things stay this way for the final whistle) Schranz is swapped for Duris.

A confident Suslov run is repelled for a corner, and although Slovakia can't bury it, they continue to threaten around the Belgium penalty area in an attempt to wrestle back momentum.

Kucka eventually gets the ball just north of the edge of the box, and fires in an attempt - but it's under-cooked in the extreme.

Another change for Belgium, as Trossard - who hasn't been a major player this afternoon - is swapped for Tielemans.

The Aston Villa man is on the pitch for about half-a-minute before he sticks a leg out to skewer Suslov and receives a yellow card.

No small wonder he needs some attention afterwards.

Lobotka pulls off some heroic defending as Bakayoko finds Lukaku just inside the box. The record-goalscorer is keen to pick out Doku, but the Slovakian midfielder bullies him off the ball and sprints away from danger.

Still a lot of grit to spare in this Slovakia side, but Belgium are pushing now.

Time for Slovakia to make their maiden change now, bringing on Suslov and Strelec for Haraslin and Bozenik, both of whom have been very impressive indeed.

Play is stop-started by a run of Slovakian injuries, and you can't help but think that Belgium will be frustrated by the disruption to their carefully built up momentum.

The Red Devils win a freekick now, after Duda goes sliding - and wins - the ball from a sprinting Onana. Slovakia defend the set piece well, and manage to push Belgium back into their own half for a moment.

Close... but no cigar!

Mangala is swapped for Bakayoko, and instantly, he looks to make an impact!

Doku sends in a long cross which Dubravka pushes out - straight to Bakayoko's feet. He sends in a stinger, and it's quick thinking from Hancko to make an almighty block.

So intense is the stop that the Feyenoord defender goes down, in serious pain, and has to make his way off the pitch for Belgium's corner.

Post-goal commentator's curse, anyone?

Let's review: Onana leapt for a header which skirted in front of goal, and Lukaku bullied the ball across the line for what he thought was Belgium's equaliser.

But a swift intervention from VAR - and their semi-automated offside technology - quickly surmised that the former Everton man had been offside. No goal. Slovakia hold their lead - but for how much longer?

He gets some stick... then he gets a goal! Lukaku remains ever-reliable for Belgium.

Slovakia don't want to give Belgium an inch as they attempt to play out from the back, but when Doku picks up the ball, Pekarik struggles to keep pace with the red-shirted lightning bolt.

He scythes through the middle of the pitch, looking to set up Trossard, but the Slovakian defence lock up, and push Belgium back.

The Red Devils have momentum now, and Lukaku has another chance at close range, which Dubravka repels.

Faes is too casual in the face of a Slovakia surge into Belgian territory, with the Slovakians winning a throw-in level with the box. Hancko lobs the ball in, and it ends up with Vavro, midway inside the Belgium half.

What does the centre back do? Hoofs it towards goal, of course! Casteel's stretches, but the very good attempt skirts just wide. Slovakia are feeling bullish now.

Looks like Belgium have shifted Jeremy Doku and Leandro Trossard, with Doku now back on his preferred left flank. Let's see how this goes...

Even more intriguingly - how will Pekarik - a tender 37 years of age - handle his explosive new charge?

Haraslin has the first attempt for Slovakia in the second-half moments after Doku put the fear of God into the Falcons' defenders, a curving effort which flies straight past the far post.

Belgium mount the next attack, with Doku flying up the left flank - back to our regular programming in what has been a very interesting match indeed, then.

No changes to personnel as we restart in Frankfurt, but Doku swaps to the more familiar left wing after starting on the right.

He might be the sharp prong of Belgium's attack, but his defensive duties needed severe work in the build-up to Schranz's opener for Slovakia...

Casteels may be no Courtois, but he distinguished himself very well indeed stopping Haraslin's bulleted volley, which looked almost certainly like Slovakia doubling their lead.

Slovakia, 45 minutes away from pulling off an almighty shock. Still a long way to go but Belgium have been wasteful in front of goal - Romelu Lukaku in particular. He could have had a hat-trick by now.

Slovakia have the final move of the half, a corner which is fired towards Bozenik at the near post. He wins yet another corner, which is taken short and finds the head of Kucka - only for the midfielder to send it past the dead-ball line.

Whistle time!

That somewhat took the wind out of Belgium sails, as the fourth official indicates there'll be two minutes tacked onto the first-half.

But Doku and Lukaku are keen to launch another charge now, and Doku with the ball makes his way to the edge of the box to fire in a cross - only for the flag to finally go up, Lukaku a hair offside in the build-up to the run.

Another near-miss from Lukaku!

The Belgian is almost unaware of how nicely he's positioned as he picks up an excellent pass from inside the Slovakia half and storms towards goal. He's tracked by Slovakian defenders caught unawares, but in the end, he takes too much time before making the shot, and fumbles it just wide.

Belgium have had their chances in this half... and continue to trail.

It's Slovakia's turn to take a corner now, but Castagne at the near post is quick to the effort and knocks the Falcons back.

Belgium are taking control a little more now; Slovakia are finding it harder to wade through. But they have the best chance now, as Kucka lofts the ball to Haraslin inside the box and he wallops a tempting volley towards goal - but an excellent springing save from Casteels keeps it out!

De Bruyne hoofs in a corner which is destined for Onana. He's heavily under seige from two defenders, and although he connects, the header finds the gloves of Dubravka with ease.

Dubravka holds onto the ball until Hancko makes his way back onto the pitch.

Slovakia are looking very impressive indeed - but just as I type that, De Bruyne sends a peach of a pass - high, diagnoal, exacting - to Doku who picks it up high on the right and marauds into the box.

A shot towards goal is rebuffed by Hancko out for a corner, with the defender discomforted after the block. He's down receiving treatment.

Slovakia are again questing in Belgium's half, but the Red Devils do a fair job of pushing back the invaders.

Duda is next to set off on a run, finding Haraslin on the left who passes to Bozenik just inside the box. The striker's shot on goal is meeker than the build-up, however, and Casteels just has to stoop to make the comfortable save.

Great fun for the neutral. Slovakia seem insistent on playing out from the back but don't seem to have the hang of it yet. Martin Dubravka has given it away needlessly on a few occasions. Mistakes galore but somehow Belgium have failed to convert.

Castagne sends a high ball to Doku on the right, and he attempts to shimmy the ball back to him level with the right corner flag - but a bit of clever defending from Lobotka disrupts an assault on the box.

Belgium win back possession from a Slovakia throw in their own half, and attempt to reset from the back. A nibble from Pekarik on Trossard on the halfway line hands them a freekick to help them on their way.

Pekarik sends in a quick-thinking cross from the right to Bozenik at the top of the box, but he can't get his shot away cleanly and Casteels isn't troubled too mightily.

Belgium are being given a serious game in these opening 20 minutes, and will want to wrestle things back to their tempo ASAP.

Slovakia avoid a very, very risky turn of events when Dubravka under fire misplays the ball to a red shirt inside the box. Trossard picks up the ball just outside the area and hoofs it towards goal - but his curled attempt flies just wide of the far post.

The Falcons will be counting their blessings - they've looked a little sloppy when playing out for the back, and were very nearly badly punished for it.

Slovakia continue to heap pressure on the Belgian side, with Faes sending the ball out for a cheap corner to avoid a probing Bozenik.

Faes redeems himself briefly when he heads away the end-product, but the rebound falls to Slovakian boots.

De Bruyne sneaks the ball forward on the edge of the box to Trossard, but a keen-eyed Pekarik knocks the Belgian off course, the rebounded ball spinning out for a goal kick.

Fair to say no one expected that. Jeremy Doku has made a brilliant start but gets punished for his careless mistake. The Slovakian journalists in the press box are jumping up and down. They can't believe they're ahead.

The Slovakia fans are in full side now, after a lengthy VAR check for offside confirmed that they had indeed placed the first glove on their opponents.

But it's helter-skelter stuff in Frankfurt, with Slovakia's effort coming just after a punchy Belgium chance spurred again by an excellent Doku run.

Now, Belgium have an advantageous freekick on the edge of the box, which De Bruyne steps up to take. The Belgian captain can't make it stick, however, and his curving effort flies out of play for a goalkick.

Just moments after Slovakia nearly faltered with a near miss, play sprints down the other end of the pitch, and Belgium are crushed under their assault.

Bozenik is the first to airm at Casteels, who palms out the effort, but Schranz springs onto the remains and fires past the Wolfsburg keeper to put the underdogs ahead!

Doku streaks through on the right, after-burners already firing in familiar fashion, and leaving Slovakia players inh his dust.

He heads to the box, and cuts sideways to De Bruyne square on goal. His shot is tentative, and Lukaku attempts to bundle in the remains, but Dubravka is quick and low on the line, and makes a last-ditch save.

Fantastic atmosphere here in Frankfurt, with a sea of Belgian red and yellow to my right and Slovakian white and blue to my left. You get the sense that it is now or never for the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku. Nothing less than three points will do for them today.

We're underway in Frankfurt!

On co-comms, he suggests the Evertonian is the best of all of the Premier League talent on display this afternoon.

He's got every single attribute you would want in a central midfielder.

He's still got a lot to learn, but with the right guidance, he could become one of the best midfielders in the world.

Captain De Bruyne leads out his red-shirted Red Devils and Skriniar does the same for Slovakia in white.

First up, the Slovakian national anthem, which includes a not-inconsiderable use of the triangle, giving it a children's orchestra feel. Calzona, eyes closed tightly, gives it his all. Rousing!

Belgium's is full Euro-pomp - music to march to. De Bruyne opts for the eyes-ahead, statue imitation. Perhaps somewhere, Courtois is watching, telling whoever he's watching along with that he would have sung. Loudly.

Kick-off mere moments away.

... let the countdown begin!

Just 10 minutes to go until kick-off. Next up, national anthems.

The Belgium and Chelsea icon, clearly fresh from his Soccer Aid appearance in full strip, opines on his side's chances - and recent history - with his trademark thoroughly relaxed air.

On if he envies the players in the side:

When you play football, you always want to play. But I think Belgium have a new generation of players, really young, really good. I'm going to support them.

On if 2018 was the best shot for Golden Generation glory:

By far. We were close, but we lost the semi-final against France, and we all know the story.

No, no (it doesn't keep me up at night), that's part of football. sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.

On Belgium's chances at Euro 2024:

I think they have a good chance. They have the best player (De Bruyne) in the world, let's see.

To have him in the team is a bonus. He can make everything, every pass, he can see everything bigger than the other one, quicker. But it's not just about him, we have Lukaku, we have Doku.

And then we have a lot also, Trossard - I love that guy. There is plenty of players.

Player to head coach is an established pathway - particularly at international level. But player to coffee dealer to head coach? A little more roundabout.

But after languishing in the Italian lower leagues as a player, Calzona decided to switch lanes and focus the majority of his time on a burgeoning coffee distribution company. That is, until a close friend welcomed him into the dugout as an assistant - Maurizio Sarri.

The perma-smoking Napoli and Chelsea manager worked with Calzona at Tegoleto, Perugia, Alessandria, Sorrento, Empoli, and Napoli - and the rest is history.

...in glorious sunshine this afternoon in Frankfurt.

The final nail in the coffin of the Roberto Martinez era came at the last World Cup, when Belgium - then ranked No 2 in the world by FIFA - failed to proceed past the group stages in the gulf state.

But this Belgium side aren't looking backwards, as the midfielder explained in his pre-match press conference.

Qatar is over now, we can’t change things, positively or negatively. It was a disappointment yes, but it was 18 months ago.

This is a new tournament, a new coach, the team has changed quite a lot.

We are all here to enjoy a good start to this competition. We can focus on positives or negatives from the past, the team is sharp and ready to start this tournament.

Fans are streaming into the Waldstadion as we edge closer to kick-off... we're just over 40 minutes from the start of proceedings in Frankfurt.

'Golden Generation' has almost certainly been overused - not least on this live blog - when discussion the recent Belgium apex, but where are Tedesco's side now?

For a more in-depth look at a side by no means treading water, you can find our team guide, below.

No beautiful graphic here, with the Slovakian FA's account strangely dormant since early qualifiers.

Newcastle's Dubravka is a familar face, as is the dazzling Skriniar - and don't forget to keep an eye on David Hancko, a left back with KNVB Cup winners Feyenoord and - as per Opta - the defender who created the third-highest amount of chances in Euro 2024 qualifying.

Slovakia XI: Martin Dubravka; Peter Pekarik, Denis Vavro, Milan Skriniar, David Hancko; Juraj Kucka, Stanislav Lobotka, Ondrej Duda; Ivan Schranz, Lukas Haraslin, Robert Bozenik

Wolfsburg's Casteels beats Luton's Kaminski to the No 1 gloves, but Tedesco draws upon a raft of Premier League favourites such as De Bruyne and his Man City team-mate Doku, Everton's Amadou Onana, Arsenal star Trossard... and still-a-Chelsea-player-despite-his-best-intentions Lukaku.

Vertonghen sits out the match entirely, while up-and-comer Arthur Vermeeren waits on the bench, hoping for a late deployment.

The Slovakia head coach - who has been sipping from the poisoned chalice at Napoli as their interim manager since February - was fairly realistic vis-a-vis his team's prospects on Sunday afternoon.

After stating that he would be 'delighted' with a draw, Calzona added:

We know we are by no means favourites for the match.

I hope the team plays beyond themselves and get the utmost in terms of result. What matters is not losing.

Belgium are good in transition and on the counter-attack, but we have our own way of playing. When you press well it can be an advantage, but if you don’t then you leave more space.

Few sides can boast having a goalkeeper with the quality of the Champions League winner, even after a season which has seen him largely sidelined due to two dramatic injuries.

But Belgium could struggle knowing what they're missing out on, after Courtois decided he was not fit enough to link up with the squad in Germany.

That being said - Tedesco and Courtois don't have the friendliest of relationships, with the latter reportedly ruffled that he was passed over for the captaincy of Lukaku.

In recent weeks, Belgium's defensive ranks have taken a hit, with talisman Jan Vertonghen, Thomas Meunier, Axel Witsel, and Arthur Theate all struggle with little knocks or injury concerns in the build-up to this afternoon's clash.

It could prove just the right moment for Slovakia to pounce...

Cleaved from the old Czechoslovakia, the Falcons have struggled to put together a run at any European Championship, and after being sorted into the tight-looking Group E, 2024 might not be the year they make history.

But to judge whether that's an unfair assessment before a ball is kicked in Germany, why not have a leaf through our team guide, below?

... things have got quite exciting between Romania and Ukraine.

If you've not kept up to date with that opening Group E clash, you can do so below!

Belgium and Slovakia have only met three times since 2002, and at first glance, it doesn't look so bad for the Falcons. They've held Belgium to a draw on two occasions, falling to defeat on their last outing in 2013.

But 11 years is a long time, and certainly in the intervening years, the Red Devils have fielded some formidable players.

Over two hours before kick-off, with the Belgian contingent revving themselves up with some strirring Euro-dance.

The black flares are ever-so-slightly rendolent of old car fumes, but perhaps they were concerned Slovakia might bring red ones.

Hello and welcome to Mail Sport's live coverage of the filling in this afternoon's Euro 2024 sandwich, and the second match in Group E - Belgium's showdown with Slovakia.

A Golden Generation without silverware - now, where have we seen that before? Belgium were unlucky to go without during their star-studded heyday, but Dominic Tedesco will be hoping his transitional side is up to the task in Germany. Under his stewardship, the side breezed through qualifying, thanks to their promising mix of emerging talents and big beasts like Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne.

Slovakia, therefore, have a tough task in their first Euros outing this summer. But we're overdue an upset so far... and Francesco Calzona is backing his side to make life very difficult in Frankfurt.

Kick-off is at 5pm, but before then, we'll be bringing you all the build-up, team news, and more.