Kevin De Bruyne was frequently targeted by a laser pen during the first half of Belgium’s crucial match against Ukraine on Wednesday, but he replied by nearly scoring an outrageous free kick.

The Manchester City midfielder had the green light flashed in his face in the 33rd minute while standing over a free kick on the right flank, and referee Anthony Taylor briefly interrupted the game to point it out.

When Taylor blew the whistle for the set-piece, De Bruyne nearly caught Ukraine goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin off guard with a shot to the near post when everyone expected a cross.

The aggressive effort escaped Trubin’s dive but ended up on the wrong side of the post, hitting the side-netting.

Nonetheless, De Bruyne’s shot was spectacular, coming only seconds after he was bothered by a laser pen flashing in his face.

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Kevin De Bruyne had a laser pen flashed in his face as he stood over a free-kick against Ukraine

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De Bruyne informed English referee Anthony Taylor of the issue he was dealing with

Whoever was flashing the laser pen apparently had not learned their lesson after De Bruyne’s near miss, as they did it again when he took another free kick in the 41st minute.

 
After a lacklustre performance in Belgium’s opening game of the tournament, a 1-0 loss to Slovakia, De Bruyne returned to form in their second game, scoring the game-winner in a 2-0 victory over Romania.

 
He grabbed centre stage again in the first half on Wednesday, but not for the reasons he had hoped, as a laser pen was repeatedly flashed around his face and into his eyes.
Following a goalless first half, Belgium pushed and puffed for a winner after the interval, but the game ended 0-0.

That result places them second in Group E, with De Bruyne and co. ready to meet France in the last 16.