Thorgan Hazard’s first half gave Belgium a 1-0 victory against Portugal on Sunday night, as Roberto Martinez’s men secured a place in the last eight of Euro 2020.
Belgium struggled to break down Portugal’s stiff defensive form, but eventually managed to find the opener with the permission of a little magic from Thorgan Hazard. The Borussia Dortmund man collected Thomas Meunier’s pass, got the ball out of his feet and fired a vicious, swinging strike in the lower corner of Rui Patricio’s range.
Clear chances were difficult to achieve after the interval, with Belgium more worried about seeing the result than pushing for more goals, even though they started showing up late.
Thibaut Courtois denied what appeared to be a certain equalizer with ten minutes left, palming off Ruben Dia’s thumping nod from Bruno Fernande’s corner, minutes before Raphael Guerreiro intimidated the Belgians with an attempt that struck the upright.
The waves of Portuguese pressure in the later stages, however, were not enough to break through Martinez’s side, and Belgium looked like the 1-0 victory, knocking the holders Portugal out of the tournament and booking their place in the quarterfinals.
Now let’s see how the players rated …
Thomas Vermaelen towers over Cristiano Ronaldo / Thanassis Stavrakis – Pool / Getty Images
Thibaut Courtois (GK) – 7/10 – However, when asked, Dias in particular denies and makes an integrated block from Andre Silva late.Toby Alderweireld (CB) – 6/10 – Contributed to the build-up game as Belgium looked patient during the first half of the year. Sometimes caught by runners in the canals, but looked stronger as he incurred against his attacks.Thomas Vermaelen (CB) – 8/10 – Very calm and composed in the heart of the back row, reads play brilliantly and covers for his colleagues to make ten interventions. A stoic, leader’s achievement. Jan Vertonghen (CB) – 6/10 – Looked very confident when the ball would come his way, dominated flight duels and always put one foot to get the ball away.
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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
Thomas Meunier (RWB) – 6/10 – Could not really influence as he drove forward. His last pass was always a bit disappointed, although he did a good job of putting himself in a defensive capacity.Youri Tielemans (CM) – 7/10 – A durable performance in midfield, which breaks up games with good effect with five ball recoveries and releases deep into possession to look for defensive passes.Axel Witsel (CM) – 6/10 – Pressed hard and did well to suffocate such as Joao Moutinho, while regaining possession without hassle.
Thorgan Hazard (LWB) – 8/10 – Saw a livewire from the beginning and was always likely to give the Portuguese backline a headache. Released a hard strike to break the deadlock and never forgot defensive tasks, tracked back to record six ball recoveries.
Eden Hazard gave us a glimpse of what he’s all about throughout the match / Marcelo Del Pozo – Pool / Getty Images
Kevin De Bruyne (RW) – 6/10 – Floated around to find space pockets and sometimes showed his quality with small details and tearing passes. Unfortunately, was clearly injured at half time and was withdrawn seconds into the second period.Romelu Lukaku (ST) – 6/10 – Had a few moments of great link-up play but was left mostly frustrated and didn’t really see much of action. Was driven quite well by his opposition and never got into the game properly.Eden Hazard (LW) – 7/10 – Some wonderful details here and there, getting out of cramped places like we saw him do week after week out in Chelsea. But could not really produce the spark to break down Portugal.
Dries Mertens (RW) – 6/10
Yannick Carrasco (LW) – 6/10
Leander Dendoncker (DM) – Not applicable
Ruben Dias was solid for most of the game / Quality Sport Images / Getty Images
Rui Patricio (GK) – Was not really tested except for the opener, which he may feel a little disappointed with.Diogo Dalot (RB) – 6/10 – His best play came on the field where he pressed hard and looked like he could cause danger. When he was pinned back, however, he seemed afraid of his resistance.Pepe (CB) – 6/10 – Composed on the ball and recorded a couple of distances but usually carried by his center-back partner.Ruben Dias (CB) – 6/10 – A brick wall for most of the game, remains fixed for his deadly resistance. However, his six interventions were easily overshadowed by his failure to get out to Hazard fast enough to block the shot.Raphael Guerreiro (LB) – 6/10 – Went well defensively, always got close to Meunier quickly. Choked Belgium’s right, but his usual attack contribution was not there – although it was unfortunate to hit the post with a late effort.
Renato Sanches was excellent in the middle of the field / Alexander Hassenstein / Getty Images
Joao Palhinha (DM) – 7/10 – Excellent in one-on-one situations, pushing hard, putting in biting challenges and tracking brilliantly to record six tackles. Joao Moutinho (CM) – 6/10 – Read the game well, make three ball recoveries and find space when his side looked to build. But was always immediately under pressure and really struggled to get around it.
Renato Sanches (CM) – 7/10 – Sharp movements allowed him to turn away from Belgian players and break through the lines, swing upwards and find a pass to worry about the opposition on a few occasions. The brightest spark of his side all the time; any player when he gets started.
Cristiano Ronaldo has to wait to reach the international record for all time / Quality Sport Images / Getty Images
Bernardo Silva (RW) – 3/10 – Oh, did he play? Absolutely absent when his side broke forward and his half-hearted pressure was simply not good enough.
Cristiano Ronaldo (ST) – 6/10 – Left isolated upstairs and did not seem likely to be fed when trying to run the channels. Forced to sink deeper where he began to create things for others, but his presence was definitely lacking in front of the goal.
Diogo Jota (LW) – 6/10 – Made several very good climbs in the area from the left but rarely got the service to get them to count. Saw a decent opportunity to sail just over the crossbar in the second half.
Bruno Fernandes (CM) – 6/10
Joao Felix (RW) – 6/10
Andre Silva (ST) – 5/10
Danilo (DM) – 6/10
Sergio Oliveira (CM) – 6/10
