Millions
of soccer fan today is asking the same question which pop up in mind while
watching Belgium team performance in 2nd Quarter-Final of Euro .”Are
Belgium ever going to be genuine contenders or are they just a waste of good
footballers ?”No doubt - That was Wales’s night, and without making no mistake
they sealed a place in the last four, but Belgium’s inability to show any sort
of consistency must be beyond infuriating for their management and supporters.
While the Jekyll and Hyde nature of Marc Wilmots’ side is well known, what was
unexpected here, when the stage was set for a great leap forward, was Belgium
showing both sides of their character in the same game.
They
arrived at the Stade Pierre Mauroy with a swagger in their step, looking like
they meant business, as befitting a team growing stronger as the tournament
progresses. They began as if they had no intention of hanging around either.
After a dozen minutes of crisp, purposeful football led to an early
breakthrough it was already difficult to remember how they managed to lose
their opening game against Italy that too 2-0. Then they switched off again, as
if suddenly remembering they were supposed to be uncomfortable with the
expectations that go with being regarded among the tournament favourites, and
Welsh supporters fearful of a whipping after the opening few minutes suddenly
realised they were making inroads against a side that now looked distinctly
ordinary. First 20 mins Belgium was attacking in Wales territory and during
that period at 13 mins (if I correctly remember) they had netted a goal also
but they were not in a mood to spare and they were constantly attacked Wales
fortress without any more success. Suddenly the wind change and Wales team took
the charge and just after 11 mins Asley Williams equalise for Wales with a fine
header collected from the corner kick from Ramsey who had lost the chance to
play in the semis for 2 consecutive yellow cards in 2 matches. Wales were
defending for dear life just minutes into the game as Romelu Lukaku set an
attack in motion and Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard combined to create an
opening that Yannick Carrasco should have accepted. De Bruyne and Hazard in
particular are such neat, precise passers they lost no time in slicing through
Wales’s three-man central defence, and just when their opponents were probably
feeling relieved when the latter rolled the ball back to Radja Nainggolan in a
position that looked unthreatening the Roma player unleashed a shot that
arrowed into Wayne Hennessey’s top corner from 30 yards out.
Any
hopes that Wales might have had that the absence of Thomas Vermaelen and Jan
Vertonghen would weaken the Belgian defence initially proved unfounded. Jordan
Lukaku and Jason Denayer proved capable deputies on the left, and when the
former was caught out of position midway through the first half, Thibaut
Courtois came to his side’s rescue to deny Neil Taylor an equaliser. If Belgium
thought they had done enough to win the game they were mistaken, however, and
there was no excuse for the sort of complacency that Nainggolan showed in
failing to stay with Ashley Williams when defending a corner. Once they were
back in the game Wales were actually on top for the rest of the first half.
Here was Belgium back to looking uncertain again, with Hazard disappearing from
the game, Lukaku left isolated and De Bruyne reduced to taking hopeful and
ultimately wasteful pot shots from distance in the manner of England against
Iceland. For a team regarded as likely finalists Belgium do not defend set
pieces particularly well, and though several overlaps were created down the
right wing in the first half the eventual crosses all managed to elude the not
exactly inconspicuous target of Romelu Lukaku.
