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 thinkā¦
10:34Possibly, he might not play, isn't it?
10:36ā¦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 makingā¦
11:08Let meā¦
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 chasingā¦ 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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