Belgium's national women's football team, nicknamed the Red Flames, qualified for their third consecutive Women’s European Championships on Tuesday.
The Red Flames secured their ticket with a late 2-1 victory over Ukraine in the return leg of the playoffs in Leuven on Tuesday. They won 2-0 in the first leg, winning 4-1 on aggregate.
Mariam Toloba (67th minute) and Tessa Wullaert (90th minute) scored the decisive goals, while Lyubov Shmatko (79th minute) temporarily equalised for Ukraine.
"It was a long journey; we faced challenges, and the group stage was difficult, but we managed the playoffs well," summarised captain Tessa Wullaert in the mixed zone after the match.
Wullaert played a key role in Belgium’s victory, providing a decisive assist with a clever backheel to Mariam Toloba and scoring the winning goal.
This qualification is “great for women’s football. We need to qualify and play in major tournaments to keep women’s football alive. We must be present at every Euro,” the captain emphasised.
Eliminated in the group stage in 2017 and in the quarterfinals in 2022, are the Flames dreaming of doing even better in 2025 in Switzerland? "That would mean reaching the semi-finals; you’re thinking ahead," Wullaert smiled. "We’ll give it our all and focus on the Nations League and then on preparation."
The draw for Euro 2025 will take place on 16 December.
