Croatia reach World Cup last 16 as Belgium's golden generation stay trophy-less

1 year ago 46

12:23 PM ET

Julien LaurensCorrespondent

DOHA, Qatar -- Belgium had to triumph to marque it to the past 16 and with the qualification connected the line, Roberto Martinez, the Belgium caput coach, made immoderate large calls successful his starting enactment up. He dropped the skipper Eden Hazard and chose not to commencement Romelu Lukaku.

For Croatia, a gully was capable truthful it was astir managing the crippled successful the champion way. They thought they had a punishment earlier VAR intervened for an offside and lone conceded 1 accidental to their opponents successful the archetypal half.

Martinez sent Lukaku connected astatine fractional clip with the ngo to alteration the crippled and suffice his team. He could and should person done it with 2 large chances missed. This was not Lukaku's World Cup oregon Belgium's.

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Rapid reaction

1. What's adjacent for the Golden Generation?

This was expected to beryllium their Last Dance! This World Cup successful Doha was the past clip they could each get unneurotic aft 10 years arsenic a radical successful large competitions and effort to yet triumph a trophy. Things turned sour though. This has been a dreadful tourney connected and disconnected the pitch. Belgium person showed a unspeakable representation of themselves with mediocre performances, collectively and individually, tensions, contention and antagonistic headlines.

The aboriginal of Roberto Martinez, who is retired of contract, seems acold distant from Brussels. Jan Vertonghen and Dries Mertens are 35 and this volition beryllium the extremity of them and astir apt besides for 33 twelvemonth olds Toby Alderweireld and Axel Witsel.

Eden Hazard, the captain, has gone done this World Cup similar a shade and adjacent if helium is lone 31, helium mightiness person a agelong deliberation astir his planetary future. It is simply a bittersweet ending of what has been a fantastic communicative for galore years but it is present clip to commencement rebuilding. The process should person started a portion agone but Martinez stayed excessively loyal to his Golden Generation. And they each paid for it successful this tournament.

2. Bold calls don't wage disconnected for Martinez

Did helium deliberation that helium had to alteration thing to make an electroshock and aftermath his players up? Was helium excessively adventurous successful his squad selection? Nevertheless, Roberto Martinez got it wrong. His decisions didn't wage disconnected and Belgium are retired of the World Cup successful the radical signifier which is embarrassing.

The determination to commencement Leandro Trossard arsenic a mendacious 9 didn't person the expected effects. He was mobile but didn't measurement capable connected the Croatia defence. Martinez's thought was to play a 3-4-2-1 with the shot with Yannick Carrasco staying wide connected the near and Thomas Meunier connected the close and past Kevin De Bruyne and Dries Mertens were successful complaint of the creativity part. Except for a large shot from KDB that was wasted by Mertens, the beforehand 3 ne'er worked.

Without the ball, the enactment became a 4-4-2 which was unbalanced arsenic De Bruyne didn't support connected the right. Once again, similar successful the erstwhile 2 games, the Belgian caput manager changed thing astatine fractional time. Lukaku came connected and got a accidental to people earlier hitting the station connected the hr mark. He intelligibly changed the crippled and gave much of a menace to Belgium than ever successful this World Cup truthful far. De Bruyne besides grew into the crippled and created galore chances.

However, it was not enough. Martinez was conscionable not inspired connected Thursday, similar each passim this tournament, and this humiliating elimination truthful aboriginal is vastly connected him.

3. Croatia successful power contempt last scare

If determination is simply a squad successful this World Cup who knows however to negociate a game, it is Croatia. A gully was capable for them to suffice for the past 16 and adjacent if they created immoderate decent opportunities, they were intelligibly precise blessed to power the 0-0 and get the constituent they needed. They suffered a small spot astatine the commencement of the 2nd fractional erstwhile Lukaku came connected and deed the post, and particularly successful the dying minutes erstwhile helium should person scored.

However, their fantastic midfield 3 of Luka Modric, Marcelo Brozovic and Mateo Kovacic are the masters of controlling games. It was cleanable connected erstwhile to press, however to press, erstwhile to dilatory the gait of the game, erstwhile to accelerate it. They wanted clip erstwhile needed, got a foul astatine the close clip and took a portion to instrumentality the escaped kicks. Considering that this squad lacks a apical striker (Kramaric, Petkovic oregon Livaja are not successful that category), this was astir apt the champion they could do.

Player ratings (1 = worst, 10 = best)

Croatia: Dominik Livakovic 4, Josip Juranovic 5, Dejan Lovren 5, Josko Gvardiol 6, Borna Sosa 6, Luka Modric 7, Marcelo Brozovic 7, Mateo Kovacic 6, Andrej Kramaric 4, Marko Livaja 3, Ivan Perisic 5

Subs: Bruno Petkovic 4, Mario Pasalic 4, Lovro Majer 4

Belgium: Thibaut Courtois 7, Thomas Meunier 4, Toby Alderweireld 6, Jan Vertonghen 6, Timothy Castagne 5, Leander Dendoncker 4, Axel Witsel 3, Yannick Carrasco 4, Kevin De Bruyne 6, Dries Mertens 3, Leandro Trossard 3,

Subs: Eden Hazard 4, Jeremy Doku 5, Thorgan Hazard 4, Romelu Lukaku 3, Youri Tielemans 4,

Best and worst performers

BEST: Marcelo Brozovic, Croatia

It could person been Luka Modric but Brozovic bossed the midfield. He was outstanding with his crippled management, had 98 touches, a bully changeable saved by Courtois and made 8 passes into the last third. His shot IQ is truthful precocious that helium is an implicit joyousness to ticker successful a crippled similar this.

WORST: Leandro Trossard, Belgium

He wanted to commencement and felt that helium deserved to start. He had his accidental contiguous and showed perfectly nothing. He didn't make anything, didn't airs a threat, didn't interaction the crippled astatine all. He was truthful casual to support against and was truthful mediocre that Martinez took him disconnected conscionable earlier the hour.