World Cup 2018: 3 reasons why Belgium managed a stunning comeback win against Japan
Scoreline: Belgium 3-2 Japan
Belgium survived a mighty World Cup scare and as a result, produced one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the competition. Japan proved their worth last night by giving Belgium a proper run for their money. But despite trailing 2-0 at the hour mark, Belgium managed to hit three in the last 20 minutes of the game.
Jan Vertonghen initiated the comeback with a lucky looping header that tricked everyone on it's way to the back of the net. Marouane Fellaini then scored an equalizer five minutes later, using all his aerial prowess to power home a header. And then came the winning goal!
Nacer Chadli got to the end of a stunning counter-attack and helped the Red Devils to one of their famous World Cup nights. Belgium now face mighty Brazil in the quarterfinals on Friday. Before that, let's first analyze the three major reasons that led Belgium to a face-saving 3-2 win over Japan:
#3 Impact substitutions
Japan had brilliantly worked out Belgium's game plan. The Blue Samurais exploited the space behind the full-backs and pressed high to cut short the supply to their midfielders. Yannick Carrasco and Alex Witsel were poor and it led Japan to stand themselves strongly on the ground.
The Asian side scored two quickfire goals in the second half to sent shockwaves around the Belgian camp. Roberto Martinez reacted in the best possible way and made an important double substitution. On came Nacer Chadli and Marouane Fellaini - the two players that got on the scoresheet and the two players that made the most impact in the final quarter.
Chadli provided balance on the left flank and combined his attacking runs with his defensive duties comfortably. Meanwhile, Martinez went the Mourinho way and utilized Fellaini in the best possible manner. Japan struggled all night with crosses into the box and it was that inefficiency that led them to surrender a gigantic lead.