Croatia advance to the final 16 from Group F alongside Morocco after stalemate.
Belgium have crashed out of the World Cup following a 0-0 draw with Croatia, marking a bitter finish for the nation’s so-called “Golden Technology” of stars.
Coach Roberto Martinez’s aspect, ranked the second-best on this planet by FIFA, failed to search out any fluency in Thursday’s conflict on the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium and their determined second-half makes an attempt to interrupt the impasse in the end got here to nothing.
Neither aspect had a shot on course in a dour first half and Belgium introduced on striker Romelu Lukaku on the break, however it was Croatia who sprang into life, with Marcelo Brozovic and Luka Modric drawing saves from Thibaut Courtois in fast succession.
Lukaku then rattled the submit with a fierce shot from shut vary on the hour mark as Belgium pushed desperately for the aim that will ship them via.
He went on to waste a number of extra goalmouth alternatives because the clock ticked towards full-time, displaying an absence of match sharpness following a protracted interval out with damage.
The stalemate left the Pink Devils stranded in third place in Group F, with Croatia one spot above them and Morocco ending prime of the pile following their 2-1 win over Canada.
The 2018 runners-up will face the winners of Group E – which may very well be Spain, Japan or Costa Rica – on Monday.
Morocco, who’ve reached the knockout levels for the primary time since 1986, will play the runners-up from Group E, which additionally contains four-time champions Germany, the next day.
‘Golden technology’s disappointing conclusion
Belgium’s “Golden Technology” – now that includes six gamers with greater than 100 appearances – is about to separate up with the World Cup semifinal look in 2018 as its peak.
Not like their spectacular exhibiting 4 years in the past in Russia, The Pink Devils managed only one aim on this 12 months’s match in a lucky opening 1-0 win over Canada.
In a bid to spark his squad to life, Martinez dropped captain Eden Hazard to the bench as one among 4 adjustments to the aspect on Thursday which additionally noticed Leandro Trossard and Dries Mertens begin for the primary time in Qatar.
However their build-up to the match was marred by rumours of infighting between senior gamers in the course of the match – studies Martinez had dismissed as “pretend information”.
The 49-year-old, who has been in cost for greater than six years, was requested after the sport if he’ll stay as coach within the wake of his aspect’s forgetful marketing campaign.
“Now, just isn’t the second [to discuss that],” he answered.
