Belgium's match with Sweden postponed due to tragedy
The match between Belgium and Sweden in the Euro 2024 qualifiers on the morning of October 17 (Vietnam time) was forced to be postponed midway due to a tragedy.
The match between Belgium and Sweden in the EURO 2024 qualifiers was postponed after the end of the first half after two Swedish fans were shot dead before kick-off. Accordingly, about 10 minutes before kick-off, a man wearing an orange jacket with a gun shot dead two Swedish fans in an area about 5 km from the King Baudouin Stadium.
There were around 35,000 spectators in the stadium, continuing to cheer on both teams as they were left in the dark. Striker Viktor Gyokeres opened the scoring for the visitors in the 15th minute with a superb goal, before Romelu Lukaku equalised for Belgium in the 41st minute with a penalty.
The shooting forced the match between Belgium and Sweden to be abandoned after the first half, with the score at 1-1. The referees did not actually call a halt, but the players refused to return to the pitch after the break for security reasons.
Two Swedish nationals were killed. According to Belgian sources such as SudPress, HLN and Het Nieuwsblad, they were football fans wearing Swedish national team jerseys.
According to Belgian media, the perpetrator of the attack has fled and has not yet been arrested. However, the authorities of this country affirmed that they will mobilize all functional forces to ensure security for the fans.
The city of Brussels also raised its terror alert level to the highest level of 4. The match was postponed but spectators were not allowed to leave the stadium, for their safety. On the official UEFA website, it was announced: "The match between Belgium and Sweden was suspended at halftime for security reasons. Further information will be provided by UEFA soon."
Fearing the gunman might reach the King Baudouin Stadium, police initially stopped spectators from leaving. They then sent security guards to let groups of spectators leave the stadium. About 700 Swedish spectators were escorted away. Swedish players were also escorted straight to the airport to return home. Belgium had previously qualified for the EURO 2024 Finals in Germany next year, while Sweden failed to qualify./.
