Welcome to Sportstarâs highlights of the FIFA World Cup match between Croatia and Belgium.
HIGHLIGHTS
Talking points
- Croatia with a bright start and immediately puts Belgium under pressure.
- 13â - Brilliant counter attack by Belgium - Mertens tries to place it in the top corner but skies his shot.
- 18â- Croatia thought it had a penalty after Kramaric was brought down inside the box but VAR had a check and the penalty decision was overruled due to offside.
- The match has settled after Croatiaâs cancelled penalty. Croatia not enjoying the dominance it was enjoying early in the match.
- Match goalless at the break.
- Lukaku introduced as a half-time substitute. Can he make a change?
- 61â- Lukaku has a great chance to give Belgium the lead but he misses the goal from a close distance after his shot hit the post.
- Time running out for Belgium. It needs to win to have a chance for qualifying while a draw will be enough for Croatia. As thing stand, Croatia will qualify and Belgium will get knocked out.
- Full time- Croatia qualifies and Belgium gets knocked out.
Will the streak continue for Belgium?
STAT-ATTACK!
- Belgium has won its last two games against Croatia in all competitions, with Romelu Lukaku scoring all three goals across the victories.
- This is the first FIFA World Cup meeting between Croatia and Belgium. Croatia has only lost two of its 10 meetings with fellow European nations in the competitions (W6 D2), with both of its losses coming against France (1998 semifinal, 208 final).
- Croatia has scored more than once in just one of its eight meetings with Belgium across all competitions.
CROATIA VS BELGIUM STARTING LINEUPS!!
Predicted 11
PREVIEW
When Belgium was beaten by France in its 2018 World Cup semifinal there was some grumbling that the better team had lost and the so-called âgolden generationâ had been robbed of its place in the final against Croatia.
Fast-forward four years and Belgium will get the chance to show what might have been against the Croats in a Group F encounter on Thursday that may lack the prestige of the tournamentâs showpiece finale but remains an acutely important game for both sides.
The group is finely balanced.
Croatia is top, level on four points with Morocco and a point clear of Belgium with three, while bottom side Canadaâs hopes have already been extinguished.
Belgium, ranked second in the world, must win to guarantee its place in the last 16, while 2018 runner-up Croatia need only a point to ensure it will remain in Qatar beyond the group stage.
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Roberto Martinezâs side has been among the most disappointing of the favourites so far, with a narrow win over Canada and a humbling 2-0 defeat by Morocco leading to questions about whether this generation of Belgian gold has lost its lustre.
This was seemingly the view of playmaker Kevin De Bruyne, who was quoted in an interview with The Guardian dismissing his sideâs chances at the tournament because âweâre too oldâ.
They are certainly not the oldest squad at the tournament, that honour goes to Iran, but there are concerns about the fitness and form of some key stalwarts.
Eden Hazardâs lack of playing time at Real Madrid this season, where he has started only one LaLiga game, has left him searching for match sharpness, while striker Romelu Lukaku, who came on in the 81st minute against Morocco, is another who is not up to speed.
Martinez pointed more to psychological aspects than physical in his post-mortem following their defeat to Morocco.
âWe have to stay together now and become stronger. I know this group, we will be ready for Croatia,â he said.
âWe havenât been the best Belgium at this World Cup yet. Today I thought we played with the fear of losing. Without the ball we still work for each other but when we have the ball, we donât stand out, we are not ourselves. We have to work on that.â
Croatiaâs tournament also began with a lifeless performance against Morocco, although the goalless draw provided a platform for it to kick-on against Canada.
It looked far sharper in Sundayâs 4-1 win, with Andrej Kramaricâs double strike dispelling doubts about whether it lacks a cutting edge up front.
A draw would see it over the line but coach Zlatko Dalic ruled out playing for such a scenario.
âWe must not accept the option of having only one point to end the match with Belgium,â he said.
âThere are no easy games (at the World Cup). Belgium need a win but we will also aim for a win.â
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