Belgium has been, by far, one of the most impressive teams in Russia this summer. The Golden Generation for Belgium got off to the perfect start to the competition after dismantling Panama in the opener. Meanwhile, Tunisia pushed England all the way to the final whistle, when cruelly the opposition captain came up with a header to snatch all three points right at the death.
Belgium went on to make an even more commanding statement in the second fixture against the minnows as they thrashed Tunisia on the night, putting five past them in the ninety minutes. Tunisia managed to salvage some pride by scoring two of their own, but the game was never really an even competition as the heavily favoured Belgian side cemented their spot at the top of Group G.
#1 Eden Hazard gets a brace
- Eden Hazard had predicted a strong World Cup, not just for Belgium but also for himself, after the opener against Panama in which he had failed to get on the score sheet. Few doubted him because of the ability he possesses.
- And they were right not to. Eden Hazard was in full flow against the Africans as he ripped through the heart of the defence with those mazy runs right down the centre. He was immense on the ball and picked passes with ease.
- But such is his stature in world football at the moment that unless he scores, he’s deemed to have put in an average performance.
- Unfortunately for Tunisia, they had to bear the brunt of that expectation as Eden Hazard bagged a couple of goals for himself. One came from the spot which he characteristically put away without any fuss.
- The second one was a thing of absolute beauty as Kevin de Bruyne – who pulled the strings from midfield right through the game – played him in with a stunning ball over the top of the defence which Hazard chested down, dinked delicately over the keeper, and then placed it into the back of the net with two defenders harrying him.
- The Belgian captain has arrived in Russia!
#2 Romelu Lukaku gets another brace
- Romelu Lukaku is having a sensational time in Russia. After scoring twice against Panama in the opener, the big brawny Belgian was at it again.
- He doubled his goal tally in the competition and moved level with the inimitable Cristiano Ronaldo on 4 goals each in the competition.
-
The Manchester United man is one of the most talked about strikers in world football at the moment. Unfortunately for him though, he tends to split opinions. While he is undeniably a threat in front of goal and tends to score truckloads of goals, the finer arts of subtlety seem to elude the big brawny Belgian.
- He has often been ridiculed for his lack of control with his first touch, something vital in the armoury of the modern-day striker, who is the focal point of a lot of the link-up play. As a result, he also fails to retain the ball – to release the pressure of his teammates – when the long ball is punted toward him.
- No matter what opinion you chose to hold of him, you cannot deny that he does get the job done, irrespective of the unaesthetic methods he employs to do so.
- On the night, he did the job twice, once through a vintage powerful strike from the edge of the box, and then through a delicate chip over the keeper after being played in by Munier. A little something for the critics who doubted whether he possesses the deftness of touch to play for a top-quality side.
#3 Tunisia get a brace
- Tunisia had a torrid time in the game, all through the ninety minutes, except on two particular instants.
- In their opener against England, the minnows had managed to push the Europeans all the way to the finishing line, when Harry Kane finally managed to steal all three points with a stoppage-time winner.
-
In that game, England had taken the lead and were threatening to blow away the opposition but Tunisia not only hung on but also hit back with a goal of their own.
- Against Belgium, their defensive showing was abysmal compared to what we saw in their opener, but they managed to retain some of that firepower up front and got two goals for themselves through Bronn and Kazri.
- However, it was too little too late as Belgium had more than done the damage that resulted in Tunisia bowing out of the World Cup after back-to-back defeats.
#4 Batshuayi should’ve gotten a brace
- After Hazard had gotten his two goals on the night, Roberto Martinez pulled the plug on him and the Chelsea reject, Mitchyi Batshuayi, got his chance to show his red-hot form on the world stage.
- With the attacking talent behind him brimming with confidence and filled with the desire to add more goals to their already plush tally in the competition, Batshauyi had the perfect opportunity to score his first goal in the illustrious competition.
-
He should’ve actually gotten two, or maybe even a third or a fourth, as Belgium kept mercilessly ripping the Tunisians to pieces. The Dortmund man found himself inside the six-yard box and only had to lift the ball over the diving keeper, but got too much height on the effort as it rattled off the crossbar.
- He passed up another three very presentable opportunities with the keeper making a save on one occasion and the striker failing to find the target on the other two. In a squad like Belgium, you need to put away those chances if you want to be considered for selection in the starting lineup and it seemed like he might not be able to make the kind of impression on the manager he’d intended.
- But with just seconds to go on the clock, Tielemans whipped in a delightful ball into the box and Michyi slotted it into the back of the net with a sweetly timed volley with his left foot.