Belgium vs Portugal: 4 things we learned following Portugal’s loss
Belgium vs Portugal. The world’s number one ranked side versus the reigning Euro champions. Sunday’s round of 16 clash had all the perfect fixings for a massive match-up. With the kind of qualify between these two sides, fans expected to be entertained throughout – but unfortunately, that’s not what ultimately happened. Although the game eventually was decided in regular time, thanks to Thorgan Hazard’s goal, it was a rather subdued showing from both sides.
Here are four key observations from Belgium’s win over Portugal to end the Selecao’s hopes at retaining their Euro title.
Both Belgium and Portugal surprisingly restrained
If fans were hoping for fireworks, they ended up being sorely disappointed. Neither side wanted to really venture out of their shells and both Belgium and Portugal were actually quite conservative in their respective approaches. Whether it was the concern about the threat of Cristiano Ronaldo or Belgium’s range of attacking options, namely Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, and Eden Hazard, neither manager appeared that he wanted to be particularly adventurous. As a result, the game didn’t open up really until Thorgan Hazard’s wonder-strike when Portugal began to chase an equalizer, but one could certainly be forgiven for thinking that the game could end up finishing at 0-0.
Bitter disappointment for Cristiano Ronaldo
The bigger the stage, the more Cristiano Ronaldo looks forward to it. The 36-year-old is now the all-time top goalscorer in Euro competitions, and with 109 goals, was on the cusp of breaking another long-standing record: the most goals in international competitions. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be, as Belgium managed to nullify him throughout. That means he’ll have to wait for Portugal to resume their World Cup 2022 qualifying campaign to break Ali Daei’s record, which has stood for decades. Daei isn’t a name that may be familiar to many, especially outside his native Iran, but even he himself knows that his record will fall, and sooner rather than later. Certainly, CR7 would’ve hoped that this tournament would have been the event in which he did so, while, of course, helping Portugal to defend their Euro crown, but it wasn’t meant to be.
Portugal not so fortunate this time around
In 2016, Portugal barely scraped into the round of 16 after finishing third in their group and went on to win the entire competition. This time around, they again finished third, but were halted during the first knockout rounds. It’s also the first time in their last nine Euro matches that the Selecao failed to find the back of the net. Portugal had players like Diogo Jota, Bruno Fernandes, and Ruben Dias, who came into this competition fresh off winning the Premier League players of the year, plus let’s not forget Andre Silva, who had an absolutely dynamite season with Eintracht Frankfurt and promising Atletico Madrid youngster Joao Felix.
In short, this team are way better than the one that featured in 2016, but it just didn’t click for them. Rather than appearing as a team, they looked more like a collection of individuals and struggled to gel on the pitch.
It’s now or never for Belgium’s “Golden Generation”
Belgium again come into a competition with a high ranking, but one criticism the Red Devils have faced is their lack of trophies to back it up. To date, they have yet to win a World Cup or a Euro title. Their best has been a third placed finish at the 2018 World Cup and a runners up medal during the 1980 Euros. And given that many of their star players aren’t a bunch of 18, 19, and 20 year olds, this tournament, as well as the 2022 World Cup are realistically the only time players like De Bruyne, Lukaku, and the Hazard brothers will have a chance to end Belgium’s long wait for a title.
They have the personnel, ambition, and skill-set to make it happen. Only thing is whether they’ll be finally able to turn that dream into a reality, starting with this summer’s Euro championship.
