Joy, agony and drama
Just another day at the World Cup that keeps on giving
Jan Vertonghen started Belgium’s comeback with a wild, looping header and Nacer Chadli capped it by finishing off a 10-second, end-to-end attack in the final moments.
It added up to a 3-2 victory over Japan that gave the Belgians a spot in the World Cup quarterfinals.
Trailing 2-0, Vertonghen scored with a header in the 69th minute that appeared to be a cross but somehow dropped in under the bar. Substitute Marouane Fellaini headed in another from Eden Hazard’s cross in the 74th.
Chadli, who came on as a substitute in the 65th minute, decided it with virtually the last kick of the game in the fourth minute of injury time.
Belgium goalkeeper Thibault Courtois grabbed a corner and rolled the ball to Kevin De Bruyne, who dribbled to the top of the centre circle and passed to Thomas Meunier on the right. His first-time ball was exquisitely dummied by Romelu Lukaku for Chadli to tap in from seven yards.
Belgium became the first team to overturn a two-goal deficit in a World Cup knockout match since West Germany beat England in extra time at the 1970 tournament.
‘‘It’s a test of character. It’s a test of the team,’’ Belgium coach Roberto Martinez said. ‘‘You have to see how the substitutes react, how the whole team reacts.’’
Japan led through early second-half goals by Genki Haraguchi and Takashi Inui, but they couldn’t hold on.
‘‘When we were up 2-0, I really wanted to score another goal and we did have opportunities,’’ Japan coach Akira Nishino said. ‘‘We were to some extent controlling the game, but Belgium upped their game when they had to.’’
What was expected to be a mismatch ended up being a classic, partly because of Martinez’s decisions to send on Fellaini and Chadli in the 65th minute.
‘‘In football, sometimes you want to be perfect,’’ Martinez said. ‘‘In the World Cup and especially in the knockout stage, it’s about getting through.’’
Japan have now lost in the round of 16 three times without ever reaching the quarterfinals.
‘‘It wasn’t the players,’’ Nishino said. ‘‘Maybe it was me who lost control of the game.’’