Belgium vs England: Nothing but pride at stake for these two sides

Belgium will face England in the third-place consolation match on Saturday at St. Petersburg Stadium, and it goes without saying that both teams will bitterly wish they could have featured in a different game 24 hours later.

The Red Devils and the Three Lions suffered heartbreaking defeats to France and Croatia respectively, and both sides will have to brush aside any feelings of lingering disappointment in order to at least clinch third place.

Whilst the third-place game is merely a battle for pride, history has shown that it could be used as a possible stepping stone. Germany won third in 2006 and in 2010. It was obviously a huge disappointment for die Mannschaft not to feature in the final as hosts in 2006, but having won a bronze yet again in South Africa with a very young side, Joachim Low’s men used it as a spring board to launch themselves to victory in 2014. The Netherlands had also to settle for third spot in 2014 after finishing as runners-up in 2010, but along the way the Oranje got its revenge on Spain, humiliating La Furia Roja 5-1 in the group stages.

Still, for these two sides, the pain of having to watch the final on TV rather than playing in it will still remain. England, in particular may be the more disappointed as the country’s pundits had whipped up the nation into a frenzy. There was real belief that it was finally “coming home” after 52 years of hurt, but it wasn’t meant to be. Nor was it meant to be for Belgium, who is blessed with a plethora of talent but has nothing to show for it in its trophy cabinet.

This game would have made a very interesting final, with the number of stars on display from the Premier League in particular. Romelu Lukaku and Harry Kane will be battling for the coveted Golden Shoe, although it will take a huge performance from Lukaku to deny the Tottenham man one of the much-sought after personal prizes at this tournament.

Although all eyes will be on Sunday’s clash, this third-place game could turn out to be a turning point for one of these two young sides who came into this competition with high hopes. Both Belgium and England can look to Germany’s 2010 tournament as inspiration, as four years from now, each of these teams, barring a surprise collapse, will be featuring in Qatar.

So which side will be able to muster up enough motivation to come out on top here? Will England’s disappointment from its semi-finals match continue here, leading the Three Lions to bow out without a whimper? Will Belgium be able to shake off the bitter feelings of losing to a side that played “anti-football”?

We will all find out in 90 minutes – or perhaps more – of game-time in St. Petersburg on Saturday.