Belgium vs Ireland: Can the Red Devils rebound?
After an opening loss to Italy, Belgium will be desperate to get back on track as they take on Ireland at the Stade de Bordeaux on Saturday afternoon.
The Red Devils came into this tournament viewed as “dark horse” contenders to win it all in July. Despite never winning a major tournament, Belgium are presently ranked as no. 2 in the world. This, of course, puts them ahead of more established sides like Spain, Italy, Germany, and France. So, not surprisingly, their placement raised quite a few eyebrows – which in turn, brought on a great deal of pressure for Marc Wilmots’s side.
In their first game, however, Belgium received a rude awakening as they were outplayed and outclassed by Italy. Many had pitted the Azzurri as the underdogs and expected a star-studded cast to easily cruise to victory. Yet, Antonio Conte’s men truly showed that the collective sometimes trumps individual stars. And having beaten Sweden on Friday, they are comfortably into the round of 16.
The same can’t be said for Belgium, who will need to win this match against Ireland to keep their qualification hopes alive. With Sweden and Ireland sitting on one point, a loss on Saturday will effectively end their Euro dream even before it got off the ground. Numerous players, however, will have to step up their game. Romelu Lukaku and Axel Witsel were absolutely horrible, whilst Eden Hazard cut a frustrated figure on the pitch.
All three, however, will likely retain their spots in the starting XI as they face a side that they have not lost to in a long time. In fact, Ireland have not beaten Belgium in 50 years – since May 1966, to be exact. Furthermore, the Red Devils have never lost a competitive fixture against the Green Army – and they will be loath to start this Saturday.
Kevin De Bruyne, who is struggling with a hamstring problem, may be able to feature for this must-win clash. Meanwhile, Ireland’s coach Martin O’Neill is equally desperate to pick up all three points. After going ahead against Sweden, an own goal allowed them to snatch a point, putting their own qualification hopes in jeopardy. Of all the three sides, Sweden represented the “easiest” opponent for Ireland – and with Italy coming up next, it will only get tougher from here.
Ireland, unfortunately, will face a monumental task to overturn decades of poor results against Belgium. Furthermore, they have never qualified from their group: in 2012, they actually lost all three matches against Italy, Spain, and Croatia. Yes, their Euro 2016 campaign has started off a bit better. But the general consensus is O’Neill’s side regrettably do not have what it takes to earn their first competitive win over Belgium.
Or do they? We have already seen some shock results. Debutants Iceland recording a draw against Portugal. Hungary beating Austria. And there will definitely be many more in store. Will Ireland be the next to do so? Or will Belgium’s stars show that this “golden generation” deserves to be viewed as this tournament’s dark horses?
