Belgium vs Japan: 5 things we learned

Belgium is viewed as a serious contender to lift the World Cup this summer, but the Red Devils nearly became the latest “big side” to become victim to a minnow in their round of 16 clash.

Roberto Martinez’s men were shocked in the second half, as Japan managed to score two goals, and fears began to grow that Belgium could join the likes of Germany, Spain, Portugal, and Argentina to be heading home early. However, the talent-laden squad managed to overcome the deficit and now will face Brazil in a tantalizing quarter-finals clash on Friday.

Ahead of their upcoming fixture, here are five things we learned from Belgium’s topsy-turvy victory over Japan in the round of 16.

1. Romelu Lukaku needs to step up

He has four goals so far but has been criticized for going missing in big matches. And the big Belgian’s performance against Japan will just give more fuel to those critics, as he was virtually a passenger for large spells of the game. Given his size, one would have expected him to make a nuisance of himself against Japan’s back-line. He didn’t. In fact, he only registered one shot on target during the whole match.

It goes without saying that Belgium will need him to step up as they aim to get past Brazil in what will obviously be a tougher test than the Blue Samurai.

2. Japan’s tactical naivete exposed

Normally, going 2-0 up is enough to win games. Unfortunately, not so for Japan, who seemed even surprised to be leading against their European heavyweights. Their poor management of the game cost them dearly, as before they knew it, they were just 2-1 up. Then, suddenly, they were level. And in a cruel, heart-breaking twist of fate, the Blue Samurai were knocked out of the tournament in literally the dying moments of the game.

The fact that Japan came from 2-0 down to draw Senegal looked promising, and whilst the team was slated for their dull showing in a 1-0 loss to Poland, they had already gotten the result they needed – a spot in the round of 16. However, Japan, who were on the cusp of their first ever quarter-finals will rue how they poorly managed their lead against Belgium and undoubtedly use it as a learning experience.

Akira Nishino, who was hired shortly before the tournament, has opted to step down despite the team’s solid showing, and all eyes will be on who takes over as Japan look to rebuild and prepare for the upcoming 2019 Asian Cup.

3. Patterns, patterns, patterns

Japan’s round of 16 exit, whilst painful for their fans and neutrals, seemed to be written in the cards before they took on Belgium. No, it’s not because of the wide gulf in rankings and skill. This World Cup has numerous examples of major upsets, including Croatia’s resounding win over Argentina, South Korea beating Germany, Mexico also defeating Germany, and arguably the biggest one of all – Russia overcoming Spain.

But it wasn’t to be for Japan. Interestingly enough, since making their debut in 1998, Japan has followed a curious pattern of World Cup performances. Their debut saw them crash out in the group stage, but four years later, as co-hosts, they made it to the round of 16. 2006? Group Stage. 2010? Round of 16. And so on and so on.

Japan obviously will hope to avoid a group stage exit four years from now to break this curious pattern. Will it come to pass? We’ll just have to wait and see, naturally.

4. Subs making all the difference

With his side trailing 2-0 down, Roberto Martinez decided to make two key substitutions that changed the tide of the match. Dries Mertens and Yannick Carrasco were withdrawn in lieu of Marouane Fellaini and Nacer Chadli. It paid off, as both players netted the equalizer and the game-winner shortly after coming on, and thus have made a clear case for being involved from the start against Brazil.

5. Belgium need to sort things out at the back

Whilst Martinez’s subs paid off, there’s no denying that Belgium needs to really tighten up their defense. They might have beaten Tunisia, but they still conceded two goals in a match that should have finished as a 5-0 result. And their lack of strong defending nearly saw them crash out of this tournament as Japan raced into an early 2-0 lead.

Yes, their attack managed to wipe out that deficit, but they may not be so lucky against Brazil.