FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022: Belgium out after another poor performance

Gulf News

Belgium have been knocked out of the FIFA World Cup at the group stage as Croatia progress at their expense after a 0-0 draw in Qatar. Roberto Martinez's side, who finished third in Russia four years ago and are ranked 2nd in the world, had a disappointing tournament with just one win in three games. Tonight, they produced another poor display against Croatia despite knowing a win was vital for them to progress to the last 16. Romelu Lukaku missed several chances and the ageing team have been eliminated. Gulf News football experts discuss the match.  See more videos at https://gulfnews.com/videos Read more Gulf News stories here: https://bit.ly/2HLJ2km  Subscribe to Gulf News on YouTube and watch more of our videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/GulfNewsTV  #UAEnews #Qatar #WorldCup

Transcript

00:00Hello and welcome to Golf News kicking back with a big news tonight is Belgium have been

00:15knocked out of the World Cup at the group stage as Croatia have progressed at their

00:21expense following a nil-nil draw tonight. Belgium went into the game knowing that they

00:25had to win otherwise their World Cup campaign was going to be all over. The match has literally

00:32just finished and I have got to say it was another really tepid, disappointing performance

00:37from Belgium. They looked leggy, they looked slow, they looked lacklustre, there was just

00:41nothing going on. They have been really disappointing through the whole tournament in this Group

00:47F. Had you looked at that group, teams like Morocco were in there and Canada, you would

00:52have expected that it would have been Belgium and Croatia to go through but in the end,

00:56Morocco have topped the group and Belgium are out. But are you surprised considering

01:01the way they have been playing? We have mentioned this before, they have been really, they have

01:04been very disappointing, haven't they?

01:06Absolutely, they didn't play like the world number two team in the world. I mean, what

01:13we saw was a pathetic performance all through the tournament. And even today, I think maybe

01:21except for the last 10 minutes, they looked completely out of sorts. They were struggling

01:27to keep up with Croatia and Lukaku's incredible misses, three incredible misses actually.

01:35I mean, that tells the sorry tale of Belgium's performance.

01:40Yeah, Satish, I mean, tonight Lukaku who you can normally trust to put those particular

01:46chances away, they were literally just a couple of yards out, he had come on as a substitute.

01:50We knew he had come into the tournament with an injury. He wasn't completely match fit.

01:55But the first chance he had a header, which normally Lukaku on form would have tucked

02:01it away, but it hit the crossbar. And then after that, like Shyam says, in the last 10

02:05minutes, I think I counted like four chances. I mean, they were all, you know, anybody should

02:10have really scored those regardless of his top striker like Lukaku.

02:12Not even a couple of feet away, isn't it?

02:15Yes, Satish.

02:16It should be a bread and butter for everybody.

02:19Absolutely. I mean, but the thing is, Satish, you can't rely on, you know, a couple of half

02:24chances at the end to get yourself through. As Shyam and I have just said, they've been

02:28a very disappointing team in this tournament. Not just this tournament, they've been disappointing

02:32for a while. And because they've got a very old team in there, haven't they?

02:36Exactly, Imran. And this is supposedly the golden generation, isn't it, of Belgium football.

02:42And again, I think maybe that's just my thought. If Hazard had come in a bit early,

02:50maybe because in the last 10 minutes when he came in, he brought in some energy, isn't it?

02:57Yeah. Even Hazard, to be honest, looks like a stone overweight. This is Shyam, a very old

03:01squad. You know, De Bruyne is 31. OK, Lukaku is 29. But even he looks like he's looking towards

03:07the end of his career already. He looks very heavy these days. Leggy. Van Tongen's 35. It's

03:14an old team now. So, I mean, it's going to have to be a huge clear out there, isn't it?

03:20Absolutely. And Lukaku especially. I was looking at his stats here. He's just played 38 minutes

03:27before today's game. That is since August. Since August till today, he's just played 38 minutes.

03:36So, what you saw was the rust flying everywhere. Not just that, he's off late. He's not been in a

03:42good nick even before he was injured. I mean, he is not the kind of Lukaku which we have known.

03:47And actually, I think today's performance really shows that his reflexes are pretty bad.

03:53Like, you know, the ball which he could have easily chested in. I know the ball was swerving in. But

03:59even then, Lukaku of old would have just plopped that in. And it looks like his career is pretty

04:07much over, I think. At least top flight level, at least. I think there's a lot of players whose

04:13careers for sure in the national team are for sure over. I've just seen Roberto Martinez give his

04:18post-match interview. And he's surprisingly said that they can leave with their heads held high.

04:24I mean, this has come as a real shock. I mean, they've had a really poor tournament, Satish.

04:29I mean, this isn't a team that can be holding their heads high at all. They should be embarrassed

04:32by how they've done. Correct. Correct. Absolutely, Imran. I think the way they finished, they should

04:38have probably topped the groupers, isn't it? They were such a wonderful team. And the players,

04:43you name it, they play across all the leagues. And they are so good. I think, yeah, I feel

04:51maybe they missed a trick, unlike France or somebody where they brought in some youngsters.

04:56I think Belgium did not blood in youngsters at a regular interval. Maybe

05:01is that the reason? Is what we need to check. Maybe it could be the reason as well.

05:05That's absolutely right, Satish. There was a big opportunity there for Roberto Martinez,

05:09who's actually, his contract runs out after this tournament. So probably today,

05:14in the next hour or so, we're going to be hearing that he's resigned. He's going to step down.

05:19For sure, I don't think the Belgium FA are going to renew his contract after this disappointing

05:22tournament. But there was a chance there for them to, you know, blood some youngsters,

05:26get some younger blood into the team, as we've seen many other national teams do.

05:30But for some reason, Martinez decided, you know, just to stick with that old guard.

05:34And they have let him down extremely badly. We mentioned, Satish just mentioned there that

05:39they should have been top of the group. I believe they should have done. But surprisingly, Sharm,

05:42top of the group is Morocco. I mean, did we ever expect that to happen? This is a real surprise.

05:48They edged past, who did they play today? They beat Canada 2-1. There were two defensive

05:55mistakes from the goalkeeper, I have to say, for the very first goal. He came out, he didn't clear

06:00the ball. And the second one, he was beaten at his near post. But Sharm, did we really expect

06:06Morocco to top the group? Second, maybe. But seven points from three games, they've been really good.

06:12I mean, if you had told me that Morocco would top the group at the beginning of the tournament,

06:18no, I would have laughed at you. But the last two matches Morocco played, they played out of their

06:25skins, really. So, and there was so much of passion and energy in their game. I mean,

06:34even yesterday, we were sure that they would beat Canada today. But of course, those two stupid

06:40mistakes. Yes, the first one, I don't know what the goalkeeper was doing, Milan, Boreal.

06:46Was it? Did he try to pass? Did he try to kick it away? I really don't know.

06:51It was a gift, Sharm. Early Christmas gift he gave away.

06:56I think even the second goal, that is to his near post. I mean, you don't get 11 goals like that.

07:03That means he has not covered it properly. He didn't cut off the angle. And at this level,

07:08you don't give away those kind of goals. That is two gifts to Morocco. But I think Morocco

07:14deserved to win. Only Canada desperately searched for the equalizer late in the game. But I think

07:20that was too late in the game. Even the only goal they scored came by an own goal, really.

07:28So Morocco thoroughly deserved to go through. And just to go back on your point. Sorry about that.

07:35I just need to say this simply because you guys mentioned about the youngsters part.

07:39So you look at Croatia. To me, the man of the match there was a Croatian youngster,

07:45Josko Guardiola. My God, the amount of interceptions he made is mind-boggling.

07:51He is just 20 years old. And to me, he is the must saviour for Croatia. And of course,

07:58the Croatian midfielder, Mateo Kovacic, another good find, really.

08:03Kovacic is a solid player. And they've still got modernity. He's 37. But he doesn't look like he's

08:0737. He knows exactly when to make those bursting runs. He knows when to conserve the energy. He

08:13can still pick out a pass. And they're ticking along quite nicely. But Satish, now look, Morocco,

08:17this is the first time in 36 years that they've reached the knockout stage. Now, look, we can't

08:23expect way too much more from them. But confidence will be high now. They'll be expecting at least,

08:28possibly, depending on who they get in that last 16, maybe they can go at least to the

08:33quarter-finals. Do you think so? I think a play-off is a matter of luck, isn't it,

08:39Imran? We have seen in World Cups, these smaller teams come and they knock out some biggies,

08:44possibly, who are still not in the perfect run, but somehow make it to the next stage. So,

08:50I think they have a very good chance. And this is probably the second time in their history

08:55we are entering the play-offs, isn't it? The previous one was 1986,

09:00is what I remember. Yeah. So, I think anything is possible in a play-off, whether be it

09:06any sport you look at, especially, they have come with a very strong performance, topping the group,

09:12they must be really confident. So, I'm sure they can come up with some surprise and get into the

09:18quarter-finals. And obviously, it'll be a big boost for the country. It'll be another shock,

09:25but this tournament has been full of shocks. And don't forget, guys, now the last 16 will be having

09:29extra time and penalties. So, literally, anything can happen and teams like Morocco may find

09:35themselves going even further into the tournament. Right, there's four games tomorrow to look forward

09:39to, starting with Cameroon and Brazil. Now, Sean, we know Brazil are already through, they're going

09:44to be resting, you know, a whole number of players. But that attack in that squad is so strong,

09:49even with their first 11 rested, the next 11 coming in are going to be just as strong.

09:56Absolutely. I mean, see, Brazil is the envy of every single side in this tournament. Simply,

10:01man for man, they have an even better replacement warming the bench. So, I mean,

10:07irrespective of who rests, I mean, it'll still be the first 11 for them. So, I mean, Cameroon,

10:13given their wonderful performance in the previous game, I think, despite the energy and the running,

10:18I think will not be a match for Brazil tomorrow. Yeah, I agree. The other two games are Serbia,

10:24Switzerland and Ghana and Uruguay. But, Satish, South Korea and Portugal. Now, obviously,

10:29we're all going to be looking to that game to see how Ronaldo does in that match. But do you think…

10:34Possibly, he might not play, isn't it?

10:36…something extraordinary from him tomorrow?

10:38He might not play, isn't it? Because too many matches in the near future and

10:42Portugal probably with the play secured, maybe they might rest him also. But should he play,

10:48I'm sure all eyes will be on him. And I'm sure he will also come and try to prove a point and

10:54say that, okay, guys, I'm still the old self, like the pride which he can show. So,

11:03yeah, that's going to be a good one, of course, when Portugal is making…

11:08Let me…

11:11Yeah, South Korea, isn't it? Yeah.

11:17Imran.

11:17Yes, Shaan.

11:19Let me add that I am sure Ronaldo will play tomorrow, simply because Ronaldo cannot be benched.

11:31See, he is the number one player and he is beyond anybody's dictates. So, he will know that.

11:40Remember, he is chasing… It is his last World Cup and he is still chasing records. He still needs

11:45one goal to equal Eusebio's number of World Cup goals. So, he is not going to rest. Remember,

11:52he even claimed one goal in the last match.

11:54Yeah, I believe so, Shaan. Someone like him. And if he is benched, and we've seen what he's done

12:00when he was at Man United, he may walk off. That would be a huge story. So, we will see how those

12:06games get on tomorrow. That's all from the guys. In the meantime, head to golfnews.com for all the

12:10latest news and check us out on our social media channels. Thank you and good night.

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