Belgium vs England: 5 things we learned
It’s the game referred to as the “consolation game” or the battle between the vanquished final aspirants. And this summer, it was Belgium and England to become the latest two to feature in the game that can be described as an appetizer for the main course final.
Much of the focus naturally is on the final, but still, despite this being a ceremonial affair rather than the title decider, the third-place game at the World Cup is still one any side will want to take seriously. On Saturday, the Red Devils rebounded from their heart-breaking 1-0 loss against France to beat England 2-0, who was still reeling after its own heartbreak against Croatia.
Here are five things we learned from Belgium’s morale-boosting win over England.
1. Harry Kane suffering from major burnout…
Five goals in two group stage games, including single-handedly helping England past Tunisia. A hat-trick against Panama followed, as well as another coolly-converted penalty against Colombia in the round of 16. But after that, the Tottenham man was frustrated not to add more to his tally. His six goals were enough to help him become the first English player since Gary Lineker to win the Golden Shoe and match the ex-Leicester City and Barcelona striker’s total.
However, he was largely absent against Croatia, and even more so against Belgium. Clearly exhausted and deflated after England’s 2-1 loss to the Eastern European side, Kane was far from his very best. And given that this game was just a consolation match, Gareth Southgate perhaps should have given backup striker Jamie Vardy a full run-out to allow the Leicester City star a chance to perhaps score his first ever World Cup goal.
2. …and so was Romelu Lukaku
Like Kane, Romelu Lukaku started this tournament off brightly. The Manchester United man scored four goals during the group stages, but once the knockout rounds started, he rapidly faded into the background. That will do little to silence the big Belgian’s critics, who have repeatedly accused him of failing to show up against bigger sides in the EPL, and that issue has again reared its ugly head at this summer’s World Cup.
Lukaku failed to fire against Japan, Brazil, France, and England. As a result, despite being an early contender for the Golden Boot, he quickly fell out of the running due to his growing goal drought. However, having added one assist, it was enough to help the Manchester United man pick up the Bronze Boot.
3. Eden Hazard shines again…and could be on the move
Despite his disappointment at not featuring in the final, Hazard was simply outstanding as he scored Belgium’s second goal with an excellent solo run and finish. The Chelsea man has been keen on a switch to Real Madrid for the past few seasons and has never shied away for expressing his admiration for Zinedine Zidane and the Spanish giants.
And despite Zidane’s departure, he was still enthusiastic about a possible move as he teased journalists during the mixed zone. With Cristiano Ronaldo off to Juventus in this summer’s most shocking transfer, Hazard could be the big signing Florentino Perez desperately needs to quell some of the fan anger about the departure of the talismanic Portuguese star.
4. England show good signs of attacking impetus
England was criticised for its overall lack of attacking play throughout the tournament, and unfortunately, the stats do give the Three Lions’ critics more ammo. With the exception of Iran, England had the lowest rate of actual shots on target from open play. That’s even worse than debutants Panama, minnows Iceland, and hosts Russia. Unfortunately, it didn’t help against Belgium, as the Red Devils took advantage of the open spaces and punished their opponents to devastating effect. However, it was still encouraging from a side who had largely relied on set-pieces to advance at this summer’s World Cup.
5. Belgium a whole other level above England
The Red Devils showed this twice, during their 1-0 win over the Three Lions and more important, the 2-0 victory in the third-place game. It’s a learning experience for England, who clearly have a long way to go to being considered among the more elite sides in Europe, whilst it clearly shows that Belgium has truly become among the top tier sides in world football and could be a serious contender in 2022.
