De Bruyne Celebrates 100th Belgium Appearance With Goal In Win Over Montenegro

Kevin De Bruyne celebrated his 100th appearance for Belgium with a goal in a 2-0 friendly win over Montenegro at King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels. The Manchester City midfielder started in the hosts' penultimate warm-up game ahead of Euro 2024 and scored just before half-time. Matija Sarkic's weak backpass allowed De Bruyne to guide the ball into the empty net from over 30 yards out.

Milos Brnovic's second yellow card late in the game reduced Montenegro to ten men, diminishing their chances of a comeback. Leandro Trossard then secured the victory for Belgium from the penalty spot in added time after Jeremy Doku was fouled in the box.

When you put the cherry on your 100th cap. #KDB100 pic.twitter.com/Z4H19eW8Cs

— Belgian Red Devils (@BelRedDevils) June 5, 2024

Belgium were expected to secure an easy victory, even without their record goalscorer Romelu Lukaku. However, the match did not unfold as smoothly as anticipated. Domenico Tedesco's team registered an expected goals (xG) return of 2.81, compared to 0.62 for their opponents, although this dominance was not fully reflected in the scoreline.

The Red Devils will need to be more clinical when they face Slovakia in their Euro 2024 opener in 12 days' time. Despite this, Belgium extended their unbeaten run to 14 matches, showcasing their resilience and consistency ahead of the tournament.