Serhiy Rebrov’s Ukrainians go out in cruel fashion after finishing bottom on goal difference despite earning four points like all the teams in Group E
Denmark qualified as runners-up in England’s group with three points.
Belgium were loudly jeered and booed by their own supporters at the end. Kevin de Bruyne and Jan Vertonghen walked to the Belgian end after the final whistle but the jeering became louder.
In the end they turned with a shrug, called back to the halfway line by boss Domenico Tedesco for a group huddle.
Meanwhile, in bizarre scenes, Ukraine’s players were saluted by their fans.
The draw between Slovakia and Romania in the other game meant Ukraine had to win this one and although they finished with a flurry of chances, they could not find a way to beat Koen Casteels.
UItimately, it was the 3-0 defeat to Romania in the first fixture which cost them.
Ukraine packed five across the back, sat deep and set out to frustrate Belgium. There was an early chance squandered by Romelu Lukaku, who snatched at it with his left foot and made poor contact and there was the ever-present threat of Kevin de Bruyne.
Belgium’s captain, who inspired his team to their first win of the tournament against Romania on Saturday, tried to catch goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin out from a disguised free-kick wide on the right, from where he went for goal at the near post and narrowly missed.
The ball fizzed into the side netting, but it was a reminder of his creative range and imagination. Trubin made another save to deny De Bruyne from distance in the first half, and Ukraine had promising openings on the break.
Belgium goalkeeper Koen Casteels made saves from Roman Yaremchuk and Georgiy Sudakov. Artem Dovbyk also dragged a decent chance wide from 20 yards after a mistake in possession by Wout Faes.
Another promising run by Dovbyk fizzled out because he preferred to roll a pass back than go for goal with his right foot and perhaps the best chance of all fell to Yaremchuk, four minutes before the interval, when he cut a pass square and failed to find Dovbyk when he ought to have taken a shot.
Ukraine became more adventurous with half an hour to go. The other game was level and, as it stood, they were going out in fourth, so they had little option but to push forward.
Immediately, there were more inviting spaces for the Belgians. De Bruyne found Lukaku and he forced one save from Trubin. Yannick Carrasco bounced a pass off Lukaku before forcing another and Oleksandr Zincheko blocked from Jeremy Doku.
Faes made an important block and Dovbyk slammed an effort into the side netting.
Rebrov’s last throw was to send on Andriy Yarmolenko, the former West Ham forward now at Dynamo Kyiv.
Ruslan Malinovskiyi almost scored direct from a corner in a frantic closing spell. Casteels scrambled back to make a vital if untidy save, then Taras Stepanenko headed over from another corner. Timothy Castagne blocked a ferocious drive from Malinovskiyi.
Into stoppage time, the Belgian defence opened up for Sudakov as he collected a pass from Malinkovskiyi but he could not find a way past Casteels.
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