Gone in 12 seconds: Breaking down Belgium's game-winning counter-attack

Wow, Belgium.

Roberto Martinez's side completed a remarkable comeback against Japan on Monday, reviving itself from going two goals down after half-time to score three times in the final 21 minutes and secure a quarter-final berth.

The third of those goals, which won the Red Devils the game in the fourth minute of injury time with the very last kick of the match, was a work of art.

Gone in 12 seconds

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

What made the game's climax even more astonishing was that it began with a last-gasp Japan corner as Akira Nishino's side, already pegged back to 2-2 after leading 2-0 with just over 20 minutes to go, looked to rally one last time to win the game.

Instead, it ended with Samurai Blue goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima picking the ball out of his net. Just 12 seconds elapsed from the moment Thibaut Courtois caught the set-piece to the moment Nacer Chadli tapped home a Belgium winner.

De Bruyne's drive

Is there any player in world football a manager would rather have leading his team on the break than Kevin De Bruyne? His pace, dribbling, vision, and ability to both select and time the perfect pass make an utterly lethal combination.

Thanks to Courtois' quick-thinking roll out from the box, the Manchester City man was already ahead of numerous chasing Japanese defenders as he set off downfield.

The flame-haired genius carried the ball 30 yards before releasing Thomas Meunier down the right, and by the time the right-back received his teammate's pass, the danger was too great to stop for Japan.

Lukaku's off-the-ball brilliance

The true beauty of this goal, however, came from Romelu Lukaku, despite the Manchester United striker not even being one of the four Belgians to touch the ball during the move.

As De Bruyne started his run, Lukaku was on the halfway line, almost equidistant from the pitch's centre spot and the right touchline. Quickly realising he was in the path of Meunier's run, Lukaku, who would have been identified as the chief threat by Japan as Belgium broke, suddenly cut inside and sprinted forward, dragging his marker away from the right flank. You will not see better centre-forward play off the ball for a long time.

De Bruyne's timing on the release of the pass was, of course, flawless. He slipped Meunier into the space just vacated by Lukaku and his covering defender, forcing the man who had been marking the striker to switch focus and come out to close down the PSG defender.

That, in turn, led to Japan's back-post defender having to come inside to take up the task of marking Lukaku, and left Chadli all alone at the back post to tap home after a sumptuous dummy from Lukaku in front of Kawashima's goal.

Japan may have made a rod for its own back by attacking until the very last, but from the moment the corner was caught by Courtois, Nishino's side could not stop what unfolded.

It was truly a goal worthy of capping such a momentous comeback.

(Screen grabs courtesy: TSN)