After a first encounter in September, the Belgian Red Devils will face San Marino at home on Thursday 10 October 2019. The match will be played at the King Baudouin Stadium as part of their qualifying campaign for EURO 2020.

You may get your tickets through this website.

The Red Devils have something more in store for you. You can help them choose the best goal of Romelu Lukaku and may win the chance to meet him. Visit their page for more info.

The post Red Devils will play against San-Marino tonight and continue their EURO 2020 qualifying campaign appeared first on Brussels Express.

He will be playing his first game with one of the most popular football clubs in the world against Celta Vigo on August 17.

To celebrate this occasion, the game will be screened for free in front of the Atomium.

The screening is free and accessible to everyone. Moreover, several other activities will be organized. All football fans and fans of the Red Devil can follow the match on August 17 at 17:00.

The post Eden Hazard’s first match with Real Madrid screened at the Atomium appeared first on Brussels Express.

Romelu Lukaku scored twice for the Red Devils either side of half-time, while Kevin De Bruyne compounded the Tartan Army’s misery in injury time with a trademark quality finish from just outside the box.

Scotland will be disappointed with their performance on a night that saw them rarely threaten Belgium’s goal. The Red Devils were also hardly at their best, but evidently didn’t need to be as the quality and speed of their play proved far too much for the limited, defensive-minded Scots.

“We knew we were going to have to deal with Scotland defending well,” said Belgium’s coach, Roberto Martinez, after the game. “We knew they would try to close spaces and prevent us from playing our football. So we had to keep our focus, and rely on players – like Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne – who know how to open up these kinds of teams.”

He added: “I was very pleased that Romelu got the goal just before half time. After that, it was a very different game. In the end, we had many opportunities to score even more.”

Scotland’s coach, Steve Clarke, tried to remain positive after the defeat. “It was obviously a difficult game for us, but we were competitive against the best team in the world, so there a lot of positives,” he said. “I thought our tactical discipline and attitude were excellent. But obviously we are professionals and we don’t like to lose games.”

Lukaku opened the scoring after the quick-footed Thorgan Hazard was tackled by Manchester United’s Scott McTominay near the six-yard box. With the ball running out of play, McTominay inexplicably switched off, allowing Thorgan’s brother, Eden, the time to stop the ball on the line, look up, and lift a delicate chip over to Lukaku for a simple headed finish.

Lukaku added a second not long after the break, smashing home from close range after Scotland’s goalkeeper David Marshall parried Kevin De Bruyne’s low drive right into the path of the Manchester United striker.

Scotland briefly rallied in the latter stages of the game, with Thibaut Courtois saving smartly from Ryan Fraser’s curled effort, while a frantic goal-mouth scramble involving James Forrest, Oliver Burke, and Scott McKenna ultimately led to nothing after some excellent defending by Thorgan Hazard.

Belgium could easily have had several more goals on the night, with Lukaku especially guilty of missing a host of chances, and De Bruyne also unlucky not to have scored much earlier than he did.

Arguably, the match statistics speak for themselves: Belgium had 25 shots to Scotland’s 4; had 72% possession to Scotland’s 28%; and had 14 corners to Scotland’s zero.

Moreover, Scotland’s ostensible game-plan of defending deep and punting the ball high and long to their lone striker, Oliver Burke, seemed particularly ill-advised given the height and strength of Belgium’s outstanding defensive trio of Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen, and Vincent Kompany.

Scotland’s Scott McTominay capped his poor performance with a vicious stamp on Thorgan Hazard, for which he was extremely fortunate to escape with only a yellow card.

The post Belgium maintains perfect qualifying record for the Euro 2020 with easy win over Scotland appeared first on Brussels Express.

And the winners of the Hêbê Cup are… the Treehuggers. In addition to having won the league a couple of weeks ago, another success came up for those indoor footballers.

A quick recap: The Hêbê football competitions lie within the Hêbê association, which aims to provide expats and locals alike with the opportunity to participate in some activities. Every semester, 48 football teams and about 700 players (around 600 men and 100 women) from all over the world try to win both the League and the Cup.

All the teams must be co-ed and both genders must be playing anytime in each game. The games, which take place on indoor pitches, involve 6 players in each team, and the goals the women score count as double points.

While there had been some games earlier, Sunday was the last day of the Winter Cup 2019. The round of 16, the quarter-finals, the semi-finals and the final were held at VUB. The competition was intense, as five games ended in penalties. The final game, between the Treehuggers and the AS Soreta was one of them.

The AS Soreta had already been qualified for the final during the penalties vs. El Santo Subito, after a very tough game. For their part, the Treehuggers were a bit more relaxed vs. the Hairy Canaries (3-1).

The final game was very tight. Although the Treehuggers quickly scored, the game began more balanced and the AS Soreta also scored. 1-1 was how the match ended. While the three 5 first shooters (3 and 2) scored during the penalties, the Treehuggers’ goalkeeper saved the last one.. and the Treehuggers won.

Several players had a drink to celebrate this international and friendly competition. Brussels Express will soon interview some Hêbê League protagonists.

And the next championship will start soon.

The post The Treehuggers win the Hêbê Cup appeared first on Brussels Express.

When you move to another country, sports can definitely be a good way to get integrated. But finding the right club or association for you might be a bit of an issue sometimes.

Hêbê is one of the solutions in Brussels. As Jean-Paul Judson, Hêbê’s secretary-general, explained to us last year, the association was created by a former group of interns from the European Commission, and it resulted in a wide project which offers several activities.

The Hêbê League is one of those successful stories. This independent football league was set up in 2008, and involved a couple of teams. The League grew more and more. Today, about 700 players (around 600 men and 100 women) from more than 50 countries are part of 48 teams in 4 divisions. “At the beginning, the idea was about setting up a league to avoid playing football in a park over the weekend,” David Garlot, the founder of the League, explains to us.

The point is quite easy: gathering all those who fancy playing football in championships. Every team should be co-ed, and both genders must be playing anytime in each game. The games, which take place on indoor pitches, involve 6 players in each team, and the goals the women score count as double points.

“The best female-players today oppose this rule, because they find it discriminating,” David added.

He also pointed out the level, which has impressively increased over the past ten years. In the first division, very good players are involved, such as a female-player who plays for the Belgian national team.

There are two seasons a year, which are followed by the Hêbê Cup during two weekends. The competitions work like traditional football competitions. The best teams of the fourth, third and second division get promoted to the higher division, while the less successful teams in the first, second and third division get relegated. During the Hêbê Cup, all the teams take part in a knockout competition.

Although some teams are quite associated with specific nationalities, there’s absolutely no rule with regard to each team’s composition. Among the 48 teams, you can find “Eurotrash FC”, “La Vie est belge”, “Los Patos hermanos”, “the Spartak Zizou” or the “Goalfathers”.

Football is football, but this is not the end of the story. “The social dimension of the league is quite impressive. It resulted in friendships, even in families,” David said.

While the winter season will be over this weekend, Brussels Express will provide you with updates during the next Hêbê Cup. Would the off-season give you an opportunity to join a team?

The post Do you like playing football? Discover the Hêbê League in Brussels appeared first on Brussels Express.

Less than one month after Hans Vanhaezebrouck got sacked, RSC Anderlecht has found a new coach. The Mauves will be under the direction of Fred Rutten.

“We engage in a partnership with Rutten in order to get big successes this season and the upcoming seasons,” Michael Verschueren, RSCA sports director, stated after the parties agreed on a contract. It is a permanent contract, which means the RSCA staff aims to collaborate with Mr. Rutten on a long-term perspective.

“Being hired by a great club like Anderlecht, at the top of the Belgian football, is a great honour to me,” Mr. Rutten said in a press conference on Monday.

Mr Vanhaezebrouck’s successor has been a big deal over the last days. Several candidates had been considered, and Mr Rutten wasn’t the first option.

“A friend told me the first choice is never the chosen one,” the new RSCA coach added. Frank de Boer and Phillip Cocu were, for instance, mentioned before.

Fred Rutten has already coached several famous teams. He was indeed in charge of PSV Eindhoven, Schalke 04 and Feyenoord Rotterdam in the 2000’s and 2010’s. The last team he managed was Maccabi Haïfa, in Israel.

It is now up to him to try to make the situation better. Anderlecht is ranked 5^th in the Belgian championship today.

The post Fred Rutten appointed as the new coach of Anderlecht appeared first on Brussels Express.

The CIES Football Observatory has compiled a list with the hundred most expensive players (in transfer value) in the five largest leagues (Spain, England, France, Germany and Italy).

The top step of the podium is occupied by Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappé (218.5 million euros). Behind him come Tottenham’s, Harry Kane (200.3 million) and his Brazilian teammate Neymar (197.1 million). Manchester United’s Romelu Lukaku (162 million) is eighth, and Eden Hazard (Chelsea) eighteenth (129 million).

Raheem Sterling (Manchester City / 185.8 million) and Egyptian Mohamed Salah (Liverpool / 184.3 million) complete the top 5.

In addition to Belgium, ten other countries have players whose value exceeds one hundred million: Brazil (6 players), England (5), France (5), Argentina (2), Portugal (2), Egypt (1), Germany (1), Senegal (1), Uruguay (1) and Italy (1).

Of the twenty-seven footballers with an estimated value of more than 100 million, sixteen play in the Premier League, five in the Spanish Liga, three in the Italian Serie A, two in the French Ligue 1 and one in the German Bundesliga.

The other top-100 Belgians are Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City / 95.6 million), 30th, and Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid / 67.8 million) 75th.

The post Romelu Lukaku among the top 10 highest paid football players appeared first on Brussels Express.

Red devils (almost) at the top.

It is not possible to talk about Belgian football without mentioning the 2018 World Cup.

The last World Cup in Russia showed that the Red devils were part of the best nations in the world. After the Belgian national team easily made it through the first round, the game vs. Japan (Round of 16) was a crazy one.

But the quarter-final, Belgium against Brazil, was definitely the most successful one for Belgium. The Red devils defeated the Seleçao (2-1), which gave them hope ahead of the semi-finals vs. France.

The Hazard’s mates however lost 1-0 vs. the future winner of the World Cup. Although this game was a very big deal for the Belgian people, the party held in Brussels when the Red devils came back home, on 15 July, was a good example both of their performance and of the Belgian pride.

The 3^rd place was a clear evidence that Belgium is part of the best teams in the world.

 … but let’s have a look at 2020

The World Cup was however not the end of the story. Few weeks after the worldwide competition was over, the Red devils were already involved in the 2018 UEFA Nations League (first edition).

While the Red devils were supposed to get qualified after their four games vs. Switzerland and Iceland, the story was a bit different.

Their last game was against Switzerland in Luzern. In the absence of a winner, Belgium would have been qualified for the semi-finals.

Although the Red devils quickly scored twice, Shaqiri’s mates scored 5 times in a row and took Belgium out of the competition.

As a consequence of this defeat, the Red devils will have to play and win several games over the upcoming months to hope to be qualified for the next 2020 UEFA Euro Cup.

Anderlecht: a disappointing year

While 2018 was a very good year for Belgian football, the outcomes have been completely different for Anderlecht, the best Brusselian team.

At the end of the 2017/2018 season, Anderlecht FC won no title. First of all, the team was kicked out of the Belgian Cup 2017/2018 in November 2017, vs Standard de Liège, the historical rival.

Then, Anderlecht F.C. only achieved to get the 3^rd place in the 2017/2018 Belgian championship. As a quick reminder, Anderlecht F.C. was champion in 2017.

The plan was then to be more successful this year. So far it seems like the plan hasn’t been working. The team was eliminated from the 2018/2019 Europa League in the first round.

When it comes to the championship, Anderlecht F.C. is only 5^th today.

The high-level staff is also looking for a new coach, after they have decided to fire Hein Vanhaezebrouck earlier this month.

As an example of the low-performance of the Brussels team, it’s also worth highlighting the game vs. Union Saint-Gilloise in the Belgian Cup in September.

Union Saint-Gilloise: here we go!

In case you’re not aware, Brussels has another famous football team: Union Saint-Gilloise. The club, which is supported by many Brusselians, is today in second division.

Although its results over the last years have not been incredible, the USG supporters will remember for a while the game vs. Anderlecht last September.

Until that game happened, USG had not defeated Anderlecht in the Astrid stadium (Anderlecht stadium) for almost 50 years. It was worth waiting. USG indeed humiliated Anderlecht 3-0 in the round of 32 of the Belgian Cup. Although it does not put in question the Brusselian football supremacy, this game has been quite a small earthquake in the Belgian football.

The USG adventure still goes on, after the players defeated Genk in quarter finals. They will then play vs. Mechelen in semi-finals on 22 January. Stay tuned…. 🙂

The post 2018: a year of Belgian football appeared first on Brussels Express.

After the various victories against Iceland (0-3), and Switzerland (2-1), Belgium will face Iceland, this Thursday night in Brussels, with a clear goal: to finish at the top of their group in the Nations League.

Belgium is at the top of the group with 6 points, tied with Switzerland but with one match less. The Red Devils will also go to Switzerland on Sunday, November 18th to try to secure the 1st place of the group and their qualification.

Information on the match 

This will be the 100th match in the national team for Axel Witsel. On the opposite side of the field, the Icelanders will not be able to count with one of their stars, Gylfi Sigurdsson. Everton’s player injured his ankle last Saturday against Chelsea (0-0) after a duel with Jorginho.

In search of Icelanders in Brussels, we followed Obelgix to the European district where he met with the Ambassador of Iceland, Gunnar PÁLSSON.

This was a great opportunity since Iceland’s’ 100th anniversary of independence is approaching.

Iceland’s 100th anniversary of independence

On December 1st, 1918, Iceland became an independent and sovereign state when the Union Treaty with Denmark came into effect. Negotiations had been in progress for nearly a century. For Icelanders, the 1^st of December, 1918, was a monumental date in history.

The Union Treaty was approved by the Alþingi on the 9^th of September 1918, and the decision was confirmed by the people of Iceland in a referendum on the 19^th of October of the same year. The Union Treaty took effect on December 1^st, 1918.

In 2017 the Alþingi (Parliament) passed a resolution on how the centenary of Icelandic independence was to be celebrated, with emphasis on culture and language. The participation of Icelanders was seen as crucial.

The centenary of Sovereignty Day will be celebrated on December 1^st all over Iceland, with extensive TV and radio coverage.

A a short documentary film about Icelandic sovereignty 1918-2018 was premiered in January of this year. The film tells the story of of Iceland’s campaign for self-determination, focussing on the huge step forward taken in 1918 when Iceland became a sovereign nation.

The campaign for self-determination in the 21st century has been the leading theme of artists, designers, scholars and scientists who have contributed to the celebrations.

The post Warm hand shake before tonight’s game between Obelgix and Iceland’s Ambassador appeared first on Brussels Express.

It was a brisk Brussels Sunday afternoon in Ixelles, where the refugee youth from the Red Cross Centre in Uccle (whom SB Espoir works with every weekend) were playing their first full-pitch match against graduate students from the Brussels School of International Studies (BSIS), the university that I attend for my master’s studies.

The friendly game had just ended, after a round of penalties by a group of boys who played all together for the first time — and not even heavy downpour of rain could break their enthusiasm as the game finished and victory needed to be celebrated.

But it was not only a victory on the scoreboard. The match itself was a victory: playing with their peers from the center, whom they know very well, against a group who all share the same passion – football.

This sentiment was evident as soon as the game ended, when players from both teams were hugging, chanting, celebrating the moment. Of course, it helped that the youth won, in a very fair and challenging match up —the game ended on a tie and was settled after penalty shots declared the SB Espoir youth the victors.

For many of the youth, football is a major passion in their life. It’s something at they know very well and culturally it’s pervasive around the world. Whether you’re from Belgium, Eretria, Italy, Afghanistan, Norway or Syria, cultures that are seemingly so different, football is the common thread.

That’s why at SB Espoir, we organized this football match knowing that many of the youth at the center have this passion and wanted to give them an opportunity to play against a group that not only are football fanatics, but also come from many places around the world who are in Brussels for their studies.

One of the university students from India found a common language with one of the youth, the student speaking Hindi and the youth Urdu – this surprised the youth when he learned that India has over 20 languages and he could speak and understand one although he himself was not from India.

As UN Secretary-General António Guterres said while he was the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, “sport is an amazing way to break down barriers and build bridges between communities. It gives young people a sense of self worth and focus and lets them set aside cultural differences in a constructive non-violent way. »

Although I was rooting for the SB Espoir youth against my own university peers, I personally could not be more proud of how the students from BSIS created a welcoming and fun atmosphere for the youth.

We hadn’t even gotten off the pitch, when one of the youth asked me, “When can we do this again?”

The post Friendly football match: Refugee youth vs University students appeared first on Brussels Express.