Mathias Pieklak was called up to Belgium U19 during the international period. The young Red Devils were attempting to qualify for this summer’s European Championship. In a group with their peers from Norway, Serbia, and Israel, the young Belgians fell short early on. In the opening match, they lost 0-2 to Norway, followed by a disappointing 1-1 draw against Serbia. In both games, our goalkeeper remained on the bench.
For the third match, against Israel U19, Pieklak got his chance between the posts. Despite conceding a goal in the 30th minute to go 0-1 down, his team turned the game around before halftime and went into the break leading 2-1. With fifteen minutes left, Israel equalized, but Belgium responded strongly. Just four minutes later, the ball was in the net again, making it 3-2. That lead was held until the final whistle, placing Belgium in a shared second place. Unfortunately, this was not enough for qualification, as only the group winner advances to the European Championship.
Yvann Titi also took part in the fight for U19 European Championship qualification. With France U19, he ended up in the "group of death" alongside Spain, Italy, and Latvia. A daunting challenge for France, and that became evident early on. In the opening match, our right-back played nearly 80 minutes against reigning European champions Spain U19. However, he couldn’t prevent France from suffering a 2-1 defeat in a rematch of last year’s final.
Titi remained on the bench for the next two matches. The second game against Latvia ended in a 2-1 victory, keeping qualification hopes alive for the final match. Spain U19, having drawn 2-2 with Italy, needed to drop points while France had to win. However, those hopes were quickly dashed. France lost 0-2 to Italy, while Spain took an early 0-2 lead against Latvia within 15 minutes. Spain eventually won 1-4, securing their spot in the Euros, while last year’s runners-up will have to watch from home this summer.
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Joey Pelupessy is currently experiencing his first call-up to the Indonesian national team. In the World Cup qualification campaign, he was in the squad for the away match against Australia, which ended in a 5-1 defeat. A few days later, our number 6 got another chance in the home match against Bahrain. Pelupessy was in the starting lineup and played the full match, helping Indonesia secure a crucial 1-0 victory.
Thanks to that win, Indonesia still has a chance to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. If the team finishes in the top two of the group, they will secure direct qualification for next year’s tournament. However, that will be a tough challenge, as second-placed Australia is already four points ahead with two matches remaining. There is still a safety net, though. The third- and fourth-placed teams advance to the next qualification round, where additional World Cup spots are up for grabs. Indonesia is currently in fourth place, which would grant them another chance at qualifying. They are three points ahead of Bahrain and China. The qualification campaign continues in June with a home match against China and an away game against Japan.
Lommel SK is proud of all three of its internationals!
