England has to be tough after losing to Belgium
The Associated Press
KALININGRAD, Russia — In a match neither team had to win, Belgium came out on top and took first place in its World Cup group with a 1-0 victory over England on Thursday.
Adnan Januzaj scored the only goal with a curling shot in the 51st minute on a night of little tension or attacking intent.
With the victory, Belgium gets what appears to be an easier match in the next round against Japan on Monday in Rostovon-Don. England will face Colombia on Tuesday in Moscow.
“I don’t think you can plan the ideal scenario,” Belgium coach Roberto Martinez said. “You have seen big nations coming very close to elimination, or already eliminated.”
Both teams had advanced to the round of 16 before the match.
Although Belgium was the winner of the group, it might have the tougher road to the final with Brazil, Portugal, France and Argentina possible future opponents. If England gets past Colombia, it could face Spain, Russia, Croatia, Denmark, Sweden or Switzerland on its way to a possible final.
“We don’t suffer for (the loss),” England coach Gareth Southgate said. “What this means for the next round we don’t really know.”
Belgium is one of only three teams to advance to the knockout round with 3-0 records from the group stage. Croatia and Uruguay are the others.
England and Belgium made a combined 17 changes to their starting lineups to rest players for the knockout round. Harry Kane, the leading scorer at the tournament with five goals, was on the bench for England. So was Romelu Lukaku, who has scored four for Belgium.
“We don’t like to lose, but tonight there were other factors that were more important,” Southgate said. “We know our strongest 11, but what’s pleasing is that there are guys that have put their hand up tonight to really push for a place.”
What could have been a tantalizing match between two strong European teams turned out to be a bit of a letdown, though there is no proof either side was trying to lose.
England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford made an early save on a shot from Youri Tielemans. And after a fumble by Pickford, Gary Cahill made a goal-line clearance.
On the other end, Kane’s replacement up front for England, Jamie Vardy, tried his luck with a header.
Marcus Rashford came closest for England at the start of the second half but his low shot was tipped around the post by Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
Now comes the knockout stage, where soccer’s powers pump their pecs and the blue bloods almost always prevail.
Ten European nations reached the round of 16, matching 1998 and 2006 for the most since 11 in 1990, the record since the current format began in 1986.
Four South American teams have advanced, plus Mexico and Japan. For the first time since 1982, no African team made it past the first round. A look at the Round of 16:
SATURDAY FRANCE VS. ARGENTINA Lionel Messi & Co. was on the verge of elimination before Marco Rojos’ 86th-minute goal against Nigeria. With an average age of 26, France is among the youngest teams, led by dynamic 19-year-old striker Kylian Mbappe. At 31, this likely is Messi’s last chance for the World Cup title he needs to match Diego Maradona in the minds of many Argentinians. While Argentina struggled, France must awaken from a somnambulant group-stage finale against Denmark. URUGUAY VS. PORTUGAL Cristiano Ronaldo, like Messi a five-time FIFA Player of the Year, has four goals in the tournament leads the European champions against a Uruguay team known foremost for the bite marks Luis Suarez left in Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini four years ago.
SUNDAY SPAIN VS. RUSSIA World Cup hosts outside the soccer powers usually perform better than expected. Russia should have huge support at Luzhniki Stadium, making it closer than the 10th vs 70th matchup in the rankings. Andres Iniesta, who scored the goal that won Spain’s first World Cup title in 2010, remains on a rebuilt roster that struggled defensively in the group stage. CROATIA VS. DENMARK Tottenham past vs. Spurs present, with Luka Modric leading Croatia and Christian Eriksen sparking Denmark. Croatia was among the most impressive group-stage teams, beating Nigeria, Argentina and Iceland by a combined 7-1.
MONDAY BRAZIL VS. MEXICO El Tri fans hope for the elusive “quinto partido” — to reach a World Cup quarterfinal for the first time since 1986, which was on home soil. This is their best chance in years, with an attack led by Javier Hernandez and Carlos Vela. Center back Hector Moreno is suspended for yellow-card accumulation. Brazilian players are trying to atone for the 7-1 humiliation against Germany in the semifinals at home four years ago. Philippe Coutinho has become as important to the Selecao attack as Neymar. BELGIUM VS. JAPAN Belgium was among three teams to go 3-0 in group play, joining Croatia and Uruguay, and No. 61 Japan will be a heavy underdog against the third-ranked Red Devils. Star forward Romelu Lukaku started the World Cup with consecutive two-goal games but missed Belgium’s group-stage finale with an ankle injury. If Belgium advances, it would be in what appears to be the more difficult part of the bracket, lined up against Brazil or Mexico in the quarterfinals, then France, Argentina, Uruguay or Portugal in the semifinals.
TUESDAY SWEDEN VS. SWITZERLAND In its first World Cup in the post-Zlatan Ibrahimovic era, Sweden is looking to get past the round of 16 for the first time since finishing third in 1994. Swedish midfielder Sebastian Larsson is suspended, as are Swiss defenders Stephan Lichtsteiner and Fabian Schar. Switzerland is led by midfielders Xherdan Shaqiri and Granit Xhaka. COLOMBIA VS. ENGLAND Harry Kane, whose five goals lead the World Cup, head a young England team that finished group play without a shutout for the first time. Los Cafeteros, led by James Rodriguez and Radamel Falcao, advanced over Senegal on a fair play tiebreaker based on fewer yellow cards and were the only team to reach the round of 16 after losing their opener. Rodriguez’s calf injury is a concern after it forced him out in the first half Thursday.
By losing to Belgium, England faces what appears to be an easier path: Sweden or Switzerland in the quarterfinals, and Spain, Russia, Croatia or Denmark in the semifinals.