Belgium and England reluctantly meet again
ST PETERSBURG: Belgium and England have already met during the World Cup in a match both teams seemed reluctant to win and on Saturday they will face each other again in a game they both seem reluctant to play. The two sides must pick thems elve s up and dus t themselves down after suffering the crushing disappointment of semi-final defeats to play for the modest prize of third place in a fi xture often criticised as pointless. “It’s not a game any team wants to play,” said England manager Gareth Southgate after his team lost 2- 1 to Croatia after extra time in Wednesday’s second semi-fi nal. “Of course, we want to win, we’ll be ready to go again because the team take great pride in their performances. It’s a bit too early FIFA WORLD CUP
The two teams previously met in their fi nal group stage game when both had already guaranteed a place in the last 16 – with the twist that the side who fi nished second would land in the easier side of the draw.
Martinez switched nine players and Southgate brought in eight, a decision he described as a ‘ no brainer’ in the circumstances.
Belgium won 1- 0 and were rewarded with games against Japan, Brazil and France while England played Colombia, Sweden and Croatia but the end result for both sides was the same – semifi nal elimination.
“Sometimes I think you have to look at the bigger picture and make decisions that might be criticised,” said Southgate at the time.