Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand singled out Marouane Fellaini for his first-half display in Belgium’s World Cup quarter-final victory over Brazil.
In arguably the standout match of the tournament so far, Belgium flew out of the blocks, with Romelu Lukaku, Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne causing Brazil’s defence all sorts of problems in Kazan.
While Ferdinand praised the performances of Belgium’s front three, he was particularly impressed by Fellaini’s contribution from midfield in the opening 45 minutes.
‘Fellaini has been monster defensively,’ Ferdinand said on BBC Sport. ‘When the ball goes forward the platform is there for holding the ball up to let team-mates join and all front three have that down that perfectly.’