Nico Raskin was given a standing ovation on his first start for Belgium after his man-of-the-match display guided his side to a stunning Nations League comeback against Ukraine.
The 24-year-old made his international debut off the bench late on in Thursday's 3-1 defeat in the quarter final first leg in Spain.
With Youri Tielemans suspended, new Red Devils boss Rudi Garcia gave the former Standard Liege midfielder his first start in the return leg on Sunday, which saw the Belgians seal an impressive 3-0 win in Genk to overturn the deficit.
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Second-half goals from Maxim De Cuyper and a Romelu Lukaku double helped retain Belgium's Nations League A status, with Raskin's composure in midfield instrumental to the victory.
Bossed it 👊🏻 Nico Raskin Belgium comp anyone ? 🇧🇪 pic.twitter.com/gdt7ZCbZFI
— Declan 🏄🏻♂️ (@declan_19) March 23, 2025
The stats back up his stellar display, with a pass accuracy of 91%, 5 duels won and 18 passes into the final third.
And Belgian media has been piling the praise on the Rangers midfielder, with Nieuwsblad commenting: “Alert, constantly pointing, coaching, invariably playable, but also invariably unthreatened. In the Raskin zone, the Devils were allowed to play football carefree.
“It made him grow in the game. Raskin often played in an armchair. Raskin handed out the passes for the central duo Debast-Faes.”
Raskin has been in fine form for Rangers this season, producing two goals and six assists in 39 appearances which earned him an international call-up.
