Did you make it through Belgium vs. Russia without falling asleep? It was a tough one, a tactical battle that even the biggest tactics nerds would’ve found difficult to describe as “interesting”. In the end, though, Belgium squeaked out a 1-0 win, putting them through to the Round of 16.
Just like in yesterday’s opening match, the first half of Belgium vs. Russia was rather quiet. Fabio Capello had, as expected, instructed his team to sit back and defend, only venturing forward on rare counterattacks. Caution won out and the staunch Russia defense was able to keep Belgium’s potent attack rather quiet, although Dries Mertens proved to be quite a handful down the right.
With over 30 minutes left to play, Marc Wilmots made the decision to once again replace Romelu Lukaku. The forward had been disappointing once more, seeing barely any of the ball and failing to put himself into decent positions to receive it. 19-year-old Divock Origi took his place, and almost immediately pushed forward into the area.
The best that could be said for the second half is that Russia came out of their shell a bit more, getting forward with more regularity. However, they were still unable to do much with the ball once they were there. In fact, with both teams employing more caution than attacking intent, it came as little surprise that neutral fans could be spotted sleeping in the stands.
The crowd managed to rouse itself in the 81st minute, when a break left substitute Andrey Eshchenko unmarked. He dragged his shot wide, however, and the murmurs of interest quickly turned to boos around the Maracanã. The crowd was enlivened once more when Kevin Mirallas hit the post.
Belgium were finally waking up, and that proved fatal to Russia. The goal finally came through a fast counter attack. Eden Hazard sprinted to the byline before cutting back, slipping the ball to Origi. The young striker slotted home from close range, giving Belgium their second consecutive win.
LINEUPS
Belgium: Courtois, Alderweireld, Van Buyten, Kompany, Vermaelen (Vertonghen 31); Witsel, Fellaini; Mertens (Mirallas 75), De Bruyne, Hazard; Lukaku (Origi 57)
Russia: Akinfeev, Kozlov (Eshchenko 62), Ignashevich, Kanunnikov, Glushakov, Kokorin, Berezutskiy, Shatov (Dzagoev 83), Samedov (Kerzhakov 90), Fayzulin, Kombarov