With an ageing, unhappy team and sluggish performances, Belgium have looked nothing like the number two FIFA-ranked team on the planet at this World Cup. twoht
Increasingly, figuring out which of the European nations will crash and burn in the group stages has become quite a diverting pastime. Four years ago in Russia, it was Germany. Eight years ago in Brazil, it was England and Italy.To an extent, it may be slightly unfair to lump Belgium into this category. After all, this is a country with a population of just 11.5m which has never won the World Cup or the European Championship.Belgium team, it feels fair.
But Belgium’s World Cup had been markedly different. Defeat against Morocco had been foreshadowed by a poor game against Canada which they won against the run of the play thanks to a Michy Batshuayi goal, but even this was overshadowed by events off the pitch, with Kevin De Bruyne sayingFrench newspaper L’Equipe reported on a dressing room argument after the Morocco defeat, which resulted inWho leaked this? If it gets out, it’s his last day in the national team”, while denying the rumours.
So as that first half proceeded, the game between Belgium and Croatia came to feel more like a straight shootout between the two teams. You can probably see where this goes next; in the space of three minutes just after the hour, Lukaku hit the inside of the post and then pinged a header over the crossbar. It was difficult to believe that Mertens would have done As the game moved into its closing stages there were more chances for Lukaku, each one finding him closer and closer to the Croatian goal, as though the opposing defence was trying to establish how close he has to get to actually score.
With two wins and a draw they thoroughly deserve to have won this group, the only team of the four to play with a great deal of effervescence throughout their three games. Croatia, meanwhile, played out the Belgium game in a most peculiar manner, almost as though they’d miscalculated and believed they’d already qualified, when Morocco’s lead actually meant that one Belgian goal would eliminate them.
There remains obvious quality in their squad. Thibaut Courtois remains one of Europe’s best goalkeepers and Kevin De Bruyne one of the best midfielders.
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