"39 of 39"… Lavia Completes 100% of Passes in First Start, but Belgium Lose 0-1
Romeo Lavia completed all 39 of his passes in his first senior international start, against France on September 28. The winning goal came 3 minutes after he went off, and Belgium lost 0-1.
Translated from Korean with AI assistance. Read the original. Sources and original publication dates are retained.
Three-Line Summary
- Lavia played 85 minutes in his first senior international start, against France in Brussels on September 28, 2026.
- According to Opta data, Lavia attempted 39 passes and completed all of them, a 100% success rate.
- Olise scored the winner in the 88th minute, 3 minutes after Lavia was substituted, and Belgium lost 0-1.
He attempted 39 passes, and all 39 reached a teammate's feet. That is the record Chelsea midfielder Romeo Lavia (22) set in the UEFA Nations League match against France in Brussels on September 28. It was his first start in 3 years and 6 months, since making his senior international debut in March 2023. But the winning goal came 3 minutes after he went to the bench, and Belgium lost 0-1.
Lavia's first start lasts 85 minutes… Olise scores the winner in the 88th minute, 3 minutes after the substitution
According to Chelsea FC, Lavia made a senior national team starting lineup for the first time that day. UEFA's official match record shows he held the midfield until the 85th minute. He was then replaced by Rangers midfielder Nicolas Raskin.
The match was decided right after that. In the 88th minute, Bayern Munich winger Michael Olise scored the winner. That night after the match, Lavia gave an interview to Belgian broadcaster VTM. He said, "The main feelings tonight are pride and disappointment." The pride of a first start and the regret of a late goal conceded were both captured in a single sentence.
Lavia's pass completion rate of 100%, 39 of 39… local rating of 8
The 100% figure was tallied identically by TEAMtalk and Opta Analyst. Only Opta published the number of attempts and successes, and the record is 39 attempts, 39 successes. Over 85 minutes, he connected the ball without a mistake 39 times, about once every 2.2 minutes.
Local reviews were also high. TEAMtalk reported that the Belgian daily Het Belang van Limburg, on a 10-point scale, gave Lavia 8 points. Justien Odeurs, a football analyst at the same outlet, called him "a discovery and the emergence of a new talent." I could not verify the original Belgian reports directly.
Lavia's transfer fee of 58 million pounds… a first national team start that took 3 years
Timeline of Lavia's transfers, injuries and national team career
| Date | Details | Source |
|---|---|---|
| July 2022 | Moved from Manchester City to Southampton, base fee of 10.5 million pounds + 3.5 million pounds in add-ons | Media reports (compiled by Wikipedia) |
| March 28, 2023 | Made his senior international debut against Germany | Wikipedia |
| August 18, 2023 | Moved from Southampton to Chelsea, 7-year contract (expires June 2030) | Chelsea FC |
| March 27, 2024 | Announced he would miss the rest of the 2023/24 season after a setback in recovery from a thigh injury | Chelsea FC |
| September 28, 2026 | First senior international start against France, substituted in the 85th minute | UEFA |
According to Sky Sports, the amount Chelsea agreed to pay Southampton was a base fee of 53 million pounds plus 5 million pounds in add-ons, for a maximum of 58 million pounds. Comparing the base fees alone, that is about 5 times the 10.5 million pounds Southampton paid Manchester City a year earlier (5,300÷1,050). The club's official announcement gave no figure.
He did not play as much as his price tag implied. Chelsea's official profile says his appearances kept being interrupted by an ankle injury early after joining, a thigh injury on his debut, and later a hamstring injury. In March 2024, it was reported that he would miss the rest of the season because his thigh recovery was slow. More than 3 years of his contract, which runs through June 2030, have passed this way.
Local forecasts came with conditions. According to TEAMtalk, Kristof Liberloo, sports editor at Het Belang van Limburg, believed Lavia could become Belgium's long-term first-choice defensive midfielder if he stays healthy and keeps up his performances. There was no official medical announcement that the 85th-minute substitution was due to a new injury.
After 3 years frequently interrupted by injuries, the report card for Lavia's first start is clear. The team lost 0-1, and there is not yet any basis to judge whether his body can sustain this run. Even so, the local daily Het Belang van Limburg gave his first start, 3 years and 6 months after his debut, 8 out of 10.
Related Official Sites
- UEFA official match record, Belgium vs France — check the starting lineups, substitution times and goal records
- Chelsea FC official profile of Romeo Lavia — check Lavia's club career and season records
- Royal Belgian Football Association senior men's national team — check the Belgium national team squad call-ups
Representative image · File photo · Not an on-site photo of the match in the article · Photo composite · Photo = Wikimedia Commons (Кирилл Венедиктов), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Photo = Wikimedia Commons (Joni-Fuego), CC BY-SA 3.0
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