Russia 2018: Belgium Secures Best World Performance Beat England 2-0

By Admin Belgium beat England 2-0 in the FIFA World Cup third-place play-off to secure their best ever finish at a World Cup and send Gareth Southgate’s side home with a second straight loss. France will face Croatia in today’s final at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. A fourth-minute goal from Thomas Meunier and an 82nd minute Eden Hazard strike earned Belgium the victory and the thirdplace, which improves on their previous best performance of a fourth-place finish in 1986. “It’s all about that achievement. I think these players deserve that,” said Belgium coach Roberto Martinez. “What we have seen in this World Cup is that the players did not want to rely on talent anymore, they wanted to rely on working as a team, becoming a group of players that would do anything to achieve results.” England were on top for most of the second half but with captain Harry Kane looking tired, Belgium’s greater sharpness in the final third proved decisive. As such Gareth Southgate’s team match Sir Bobby Robson’s 1990 squad with a fourth placed finish, still England’s best World Cup away from home shores. Despite the anti-climatic nature of this half-hearted celebration of a game, anyone would have taken that a month ago. “It’s an incredibly difficult game for both teams,” said Southgate. “We played one of the best teams in the world with some exceptional individual talent, with two days to prepare. But in the second half the players were relentless, played some good football, and there were some incredible individual performances. John Stones was absolutely outstanding, and Pickford has had a wonderful tournament. We’ve finished in the final four, but we’re not a top four team yet.” However, Belgium it seemed had merely been biding their time. De Bruyne, excellent whatever the occasion, threaded one those passes at which he is so apt. It wrong footed the unfortunate Jones, touched his heel and allowed Hazard in on a goal, a reprise May’s FA Cup final. When Hazard drilled the ball past Pickford it felt like a mercy killing. Not so much to England but the occasion itself. A clear victor had emerged.