The main story from the Belgian camp after their defeat in the Euro quarter-finals in Italy at the hands of Italy was that their “golden generation” had rejected their last real chance to taste international glory.
Kevin De Bruyne admitted after the match that he played with injured ankle ligaments, Eden Hazard was ruled out after picking up a muscle strain against Portugal, and therefore the size of Romelu Lukaku fell to find a way through the Azzurri. He could only manage it from the spot.
But while the three key men may never get a better chance of winning on such a stage, Stade Rennais winger Jeremy Doku showed the world exactly why Belgium hopes that a new generation of superstars can retain their competitiveness well into the 2020s.
The 19-year-old was a threat and twisted Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Leonardo Bonucci inside and out all night in Munich – he finished eight dribbles on Friday, more than a teenager since Opta started recording data at major tournaments.
8 – Jéremy Doku completed eight dribbles against Italy, a record for a teenager because we have complete data for the World Cup (1966+) and EURO (1980+). Enchanting. # EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/29oWdkr1Hh
– OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) July 2, 2021
When the wing backs did not play so long for Lukaku, Doku was often instructed to try to use his 5’7 frame to keep the ball up and turn out of danger. Quite surprisingly, it was an effective way out of trouble.
But apparently his main threat came at the upper end of the field, and for all the chaos and chaos he destroyed against a robust but withering Italian backline, he was unhappy not to come up with a goal or help save his country – he won a soft penalty in the first half stoppage time, if you want to count it as a fantasy football assistant.
It’s hard to believe that a player as dangerous as Doku has only scored two goals in 37 games for Stade Rennais. He almost managed to send the game to extra time with a recreation – one that would almost certainly have been considered superior if it had found the back of the net – by Lorenzo Insigne’s stunning earlier in the game.
Doku had big shoes to fill in Hazard’s absence, but there is no doubt that the Real Madrid winger would have been proud to make an achievement like the one provided by his replacement on Friday. It is certainly not his fault that Belgium is already on its way home.
It’s Like a Renaissance Painting / BRUNO FAHY / Getty Images
If anyone had any doubts about Doku’s ability to play on the big stage, to use his burning speed against a deep block as effectively as a side playing with open surfaces, they have almost certainly been erased now.
We will see Doku torture defense for a long, long time.
