When you think of Belgium, it will probably think of brilliance, clinical finishing and creative excellence.
Well, in their EC 2020 round 16 in the match against Portugal, none of the above stood out so much. Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard showed glorious moments here and there without ever threatening to dissect Portugal’s stiff form, while Romelu Lukaku fought to ever score a goal.
In truth, until the breakthrough, their patient strategy could easily have been labeled as too passive and their lack of cutting edge in the final third was rather sloppy.
And yet they won. A 1-0 victory in the titanic 16 match saw the Red Devils book their place in the quarterfinals. They did not dazzle, they were not really exciting and they were not creative.
Roberto Martinez’s side came away with the result and showed that they are more than just a thunder team. They are perfectly balanced when they need to be and can hone a result to secure their passage through a tournament.
Previous disappointments at major tournaments have often seen Belgium’s possession of this property questioned, but Sunday night’s results will put these doubts to bed.
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That the Thorgan Hazard strike moved more through the air than an @ Jimmy9 thrower? #BELPOR | #ITVFotboll | # Euro2020 pic.twitter.com/rj14NyWm7n
– ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 27, 2021
After Thorgan Hazard hit a wonderful goal in the first half, struck a dipping and swinging shot in the lower corner of Rui Patricio, the attack was handed over to Portugal. And although they did not look threatening for large parts of the evening, an attack occurred in the later stages.
All 11 Belgian players on the pitch had a role to play in those gut-wrenching moments, and they performed them perfectly.
Lukaku was a ball up, while the two behind him constantly pressed the creator of Fernando Santos. In midfield, Youri Tielemans stood out, broke up the game brilliantly and handled four ball recoveries while calmly retaining possession to ease the tension.
Hazard embodied the role of the wingbacks and recorded six ball recoveries while increasing upward to relieve pressure and give a move forward. And the three backs remained solid with the permission of Thomas Vermaelen’s colossal performance, where he collected 12 defensive interventions and he looked like the elite football player against Cristiano Ronaldo.
Thomas Vermaelen was a dominant presence for Belgium / Alexander Hassenstein / Getty Images
During the panicky and almost hysterical last minutes of the match, there seemed to be a perfect harmony over the Belgian players on the pitch. The balance between staying compact and closing all possible roads to Portugal while managing to provide threats on the counter with the assurance of the ball was proof that Martinez has a squad that can honor, not just entertainment.
The golden generation’s 1-0 victory over Portugal on Sunday night may not have set the world on fire, but it was the perfect demonstration of sustainability, calm and a resilient winning mentality – and proof that they are stuck here to finally get some cutlery Euro 2020.
