Brazil vs Belgium: 5 things we learned
Belgium is set to take on France in the semi-finals after seeing off Brazil in the quarter-finals. Whilst this was a clash between two top-five sides, with Belgium ranked as third and Brazil ranked as second, the Red Devils were viewed as the slight underdogs heading into this tie.
Why? Well for starters, Brazil has won five World Cups, whilst Belgium is aiming to finally get its hands on its first-ever title.
Here are five things we learned from Belgium’s victory over Brazil.
1. Neymar fails spectacularly on the biggest stage
This tournament was supposed to be where Neymar announced himself as a serious Ballon d’Or contender as well as helped his side achieve some kind of redemption after their disastrous showing in Brazil four years ago. The 26-year-old, who moved to PSG in order to get out from under the shadow of Lionel Messi had to battle back from a broken foot in order to be fit for this competition, and some will certainly wonder if he was totally fit given he was injured in February.
Regardless, his performance in Russia wasn’t what many had expected and was largely disappointing as he gave social media trolls plenty to feast on for some of his “theatrics” off the ball. Some stats have shown that Neymar spent 14 minutes on the ground this summer in Russia, with his reaction to an off-the-ball incident against Mexico widely panned on social media and mocked by opposing fans all over the world.
With the two other members of the “Big 3” on the early flight home, Neymar now had a great chance to shine. And he flopped miserably. Rather than passing, he opted to dribble as it appeared he felt it was his sole duty to win the World Cup for Brazil. Yes, the pressure was on his shoulders, but he didn’t have to take it all on, as he’s surrounded by a star-studded cast of teammates that would make many other players green with envy.
By the time the next tournament rolls around, he’ll be 30 years old. Hopefully, he will have used this tournament as a learning experience as he hopes to cement his spot as one of the best ever players to play the beautiful game.
2. Romelu Lukaku’s big game hoodoo continues
The big striker put in a solid shift as he displayed some impressive dribbling ability to keep Marcelo on the back foot, but was unable to turn his efforts into a goal. Lukaku has been accused of being a flat-track bully in the past and many have criticized the Manchester United star for failing to show up in bigger ties, despite his obvious talent. His record thus far at this competition hasn’t helped either: all four goals have come in the group stage against Panama and Tunisia. Lukaku was on the bench for the dead rubber against England, but so far, he’s played just under 180 minutes of football against Japan and Brazil but has yet to open his account in the knock-out rounds.
He’ll be obviously looking to banish that hoodoo as Belgium now faces a stern test against France.
3. Belgium are looking like serious contenders to win it this summer…
Yes, there was their bad showing against Japan, which saw them go 2-0 down. But the Red Devils showed great mental fortitude to dig themselves out of that two-goal deficit, and once they got going, there was no stopping them. Against Brazil, Belgium appeared more confident and assured for large spells of the match – but only after they had gained the lead after Fernandinho’s own goal. Before then, the team seemed almost intimidated by their Brazilian opponents and were almost holding back, but by the time Kevin De Bruyne’s rocket from distance put the Red Devils 2-0 up, Roberto Martinez’s side was largely in cruise control for big spells of the game.
4. …but they still need to sort things out at the back
Thibaut Courtois was again at his very best as he pulled off save after save in order to keep his side in the contest. However, the fact that Belgium was unable to close out the game after going 2-0 up is a major source of concern. France is a team that will punish defensive lapses, as was clearly shown during Les Bleus’ 4-3 win over Argentina. Belgium will need to really get its defensive house in order to contain the threat posed by Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe, and Olivier Giroud if it wants to have a shot at featuring in its first ever World Cup final.
5. A bad tournament for South American sides
For the first time since 1982, there will be no South American nation in the final four. Instead, fans will view an all-European affair, with France, Belgium, England, and tournament surprises Croatia all vying to get their hands on the coveted trophy. After Argentina, who barely scraped through the group stage, was sent packing, all eyes turned to Uruguay, who had conceded just one goal all tournament, and perennial heavyweights Brazil.
Unfortunately, neither passed their respective auditions, and Brazil’s surprise loss to Belgium in Kazan is still something that has observers buzzing. However, one shouldn’t be surprised, perhaps, as Brazil has been repeatedly frustrated by European sides in recent times since winning the title in 2002. In fact, the five-time champions have been knocked out by a European side in their last three tournaments: France in 2006, the Netherlands in 2010, and Germany in 2014. And now it’s four for four, with Belgium joining that list.
