National Team Friendly

National stadium
Spectators: 10300 (Terracing: 7725, Seating: 2369, VIP seats: 206) Mbaka Mbolu started the match with the kick off in front of an excited audience. Mbaka Mbolu took the ball and in the 3 minute, shot a rapid shot to the right of a surprised Ter Stegen. Ter Stegen dived to the right, and did manage to get a hand on the shot, but it still went into the right corner making it 0-1. Nicolas Hemeleers received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 10th minute. Ter Stegen tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. 12 minutes into the game, Belgium's Mbaka Mbolu nearly tore a hole in the net with a booming shot. Ter Stegen made a valiant effort, but he could not reach the ball in time, 0-2. Ter Stegen took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Mbaka Mbolu, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. Mbaka Mbolu's shot was meant for the net just under the crossbar, but Ter Stegen read the situation well and was quickly in position to make a wonderful save in the 18th minute of play. 19 minutes into the match, Belgium's goal looked a bit too open when Lúcio da Silva came free, but Manuel Campens reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. Ter Stegen showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Mbaka Mbolu in the 21st minute of the match. An unexpectedly hard shot by Mbaka Mbolu in the 23rd minute of play forced Ireland's goalkeeper Ter Stegen to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. Ebelegbulam Hajto fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 26th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Manuel Campens having to interfere. Mbaka Mbolu might have been able to make a better finish in the 30th minute when he tried to place a hard shot over Ter Stegen. Instead the ball went over the crossbar and out. Mbaka Mbolu ran back to his position shaking his head. An unexpectedly hard shot by Mbaka Mbolu in the 30th minute of play forced Ireland's goalkeeper Ter Stegen to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. After 32 played minutes Ireland got a freekick which was hit by Emmet McAaron. If Mbaka Mbolu had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 33rd minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. An unexpectedly hard shot by Mbaka Mbolu in the 35th minute of play forced Ireland's goalkeeper Ter Stegen to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. Ter Stegen showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Mbaka Mbolu, who was totally free with the ball in the 41st minute. Lúcio da Silva received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 46th minute. Manuel Campens tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere.

Both teams looked relatively alert before the second half when the referee blew his whistle to tell Gordon Harkin to make the kick off. Nicolas Specht recieved an excellent pass in front of the goal in the 51st minute. Unfortunately, he received the ball on his off foot and could only manage a weak shot that went over the goal. The audience thought a goal was coming when Mbaka Mbolu got free with Ter Stegen in the 54th minute, but the goalkeeper managed to catch the ball with a huge effort. In the 55th minute of the match Belgium got a corner. Ireland's goalie ran out to the linesman to protest the call, but the linesman resolutely pointed his flag at the cornerflag. Niels Vandamme ran over to the corner to take the kick. The corner went over the outstretched arms of Ireland's goalie and right to Remco Van Achten. He fired away a shot at goal, but the shot had too much spin, and it went just outside the goal. Ireland's manager breathed a sigh of relief on the sidelines as his team had managed to escape an almost certain goal. 58 minutes into the match, Ireland's goalkeeper Ter Stegen had to clear away a ball on his right side after a cunning shot by Mbaka Mbolu. After a rather tough play, Belgium's Giles De Wortelaers got a free kick in the 59th minute. Mbaka Mbolu had several of the Ireland's defenders around him in the penalty area when he, after 64 minutes of play, received a pass and succeeded in some way to shoot a shot which went straight ahead into goal. This resulted in a 0-3 score and a disappointed Ter Stegen as he didn't even see the shot coming. Thanks to some nice foot action and superb ball handling Mbaka Mbolu in the 69th minute a chance for a shot on goal. With an extended leg and a bit of luck Ter Stegen prevented the ball from getting in the gole. Mbaka Mbolu's shot was meant for the net just under the crossbar, but Ter Stegen read the situation well and was quickly in position to make a wonderful save in the 70th minute of play. After some careless play in the Belgium defense, Obielumani Krzynowek kicked a shot that curved into the net to the right of Manuel Campens. The Belgium fans voiced their displeasure as they felt that Manuel Campens should have stopped the shot. The audience was convinced that Mbaka Mbolu's extremely hard shot when he got free in front of the goal was going in, but Ter Stegen was relentless in the 79th minute of the game. Ireland's Ter Stegen played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Mbaka Mbolu in the 87th minute of play. Manuel Campens made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Patty Hutton in the 90th minute of play. An unexpectedly hard shot by Patty Hutton in the 93rd minute of play forced Belgium's goalkeeper Manuel Campens to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. 95 minutes into the match, Ireland's goalkeeper Ter Stegen had to clear away a ball on his right side after a cunning shot by Nicolas Specht. The away crowd were delighted with the way their team had played and cheered loudly when the final whistle sounded. Belgium walked away with the win, even though the match was close until the end.