What a shame.
England versus Belgium, a match many would have scribbled into their diaries when the World Cup groups were drawn, descended into a bore fest in Kaliningrad on Thursday.
Adnan Januzaj's goal briefly offered relief from the ennui - he tied up Danny Rose before swerving the leather spheroid into the top corner - and secured a dreary 1-0 win for Belgium in a game during which players seemed to avoid exertion prior to the knockout rounds. There will also be suggestions both teams preferred to finish second in Group G, and therefore avoid the supposedly harder side of the bracket.
Group-topping Belgium booked a round-of-16 meeting with Japan, and with victory in that clash, will enter a daunting quarter-final tussle with Brazil or Mexico. England, meanwhile, gets Colombia in the next phase, and with a win would take on either Sweden or Switzerland in the last eight.
(Photo courtesy: @PostSports)
England and Belgium entered their match with perfect records from meetings with Tunisia and Panama, and had already booked their spots in the last 16. All that needed to be decided was who would face Japan, and who got Colombia.
The game started and maintained a sluggish pace throughout, including plenty of overhit shots and crosses, and some goalmouth scrambles that amounted to nothing. It was perhaps the hungriest player who registered on the scoresheet, when Real Sociedad's Januzaj got his first international goal after ballroom dancing with Rose and unleashing a beautiful strike.
0 - This is the first time in 15 appearances at the World Cup that England have failed to keep a clean sheet in the first round group stages. Leaked. #ENG #BEL #ENGBEL #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/4abWhBCK5I
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 28, 2018
With the goal, Belgium is the highest-scoring team from the tournament's group stage with nine. Its top scorer, four-goal Romelu Lukaku, was absent after some ankle issues, as was the tournament's Golden Boot leader Harry Kane, who has netted five times for England. The Three Lions captain was rested to allow Jamie Vardy to lead the line, and there were seven further changes to manager Gareth Southgate's starting XI.
"We want to win football matches so we're not happy to come away being beaten," Southgate insisted to ITV Sport post-match.
