Brazil couldn't deal with Lukaku and Hazard, says de Bruyne

Match-winner Kevin de Bruyne paid tribute to Belgium's tactics in the first half against Brazil which enabled his side to come out with a 2-1 win in the quarterfinal.

Kevin de Bruyne celebrates Belgium's win over Brazil in the quarterfinal.

Belgium rode on Kevin de Bruyne's winner to reach the semifinal of the World Cup at the expense of Brazil here on Friday.

BRA vs BEL - Match report

The Red Devils made two changes to its lineup from the win over Japan with Marouane Fellaini and Nacer Chadli coming in for Yannick Carrasco and Dries Mertens. This move allowed creative midfielder de Bruyne to play further upfront to join the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Eden Hazard. 

"We did things tactically," said de Bruyne. "Romelu or Eden changed positions and they wanted to attack Marcelo and they (Brazil) didn't know what to do. Second half Brazil changed and played better, but we still created chances. The team fought throughout the 90 minutes to win the match."

On his role change, he said, "I don't care about my position, I try to contribute in whatever way I can. I need to let the players relax and not take too many risks."

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On the team's semifinal opponent France, de Bruyne said, "France is an extraordinary team and in a World Cup semifinal you'll never find an easy game. We are on equal footings with France and we will try to do physically and mentally to win."

He added, "We have achieved something that is beautiful and we are proud to reach the semifinals. Its only a few times in a lifetime you will have an opportunity like this and we will do everything we can to win."