World Cup 2018: 5 Reasons why Belgium made it to the Final 4
On Friday night, we saw the favourites knocked out of the World Cup, as Brazil were beaten 2-1 by Belgium in a thrilling encounter in Kazan. It leaves the tournament as open as ever, and all of the remaining teams will believe that this could be their year.
It was a stunning performance from Belgium, who were two goals up inside half an hour thanks to an own goal from Fernandinho, and a brilliant strike from Kevin de Bruyne. Brazil pulled one back late on in the second half through Renato Augusto, but it wasn’t enough for the five-time winners to take the game into extra time.
This was the best we have seen of Belgium so far in Russia. They were one of just three teams to go through from the group stage with a 100% record, having beaten Panama and Tunisia before their second-choice team beat England to take top spot in the group. They came from two goals down to beat Japan in the round of 16, with Nacer Chadli netting a last-minute winner.
It has been a slightly different story with Brazil, who never entirely convinced during their campaign in Russia. They drew with Switzerland in their opening match, before wins over Serbia and Costa Rica secured progression to the second round. They then comfortably coasted past Mexico in the round of 16.
But it was Belgium’s night on Friday, as they secured progression to their first World Cup semi-final since 1986. Here are five reasons why they beat Brazil in the quarterfinals:
#1 Martinez found the perfect system
In all of their opening four matches at the World Cup, Belgium played five at the back, with wing-backs. However, Martinez made the decision that for the game with Brazil, he would switch to 4-3-3. This worked perfectly. Had he gone in with three centre-backs, they would have been overrun by Brazil’s front three. Instead, he was able to start both Axel Witsel and Marouane Fellaini, giving him control in the middle of the park.
For the first time in the tournament, he was able to move Kevin de Bruyne into a more advanced position, as part of a front three alongside Romelu Lukaku and Eden Hazard. This gave him a greater influence in the centre of the park, and the three put in a superb performance to lead their side to the semi-final. Their ability to change systems will now keep France guessing ahead of their semi-final next week.