Sporting Life
England v Belgium at the World Cup
England v Belgium at the World Cup

England 0-1 Belgium: Januzaj winner sends Red Devils through as group winners

Football
Thu June 28, 2018 · 6y ago

Belgium finished top of Group G after beating England 1-0 in their decider as both sides made a host of changes for the game.

Adnan Januzaj struck a worthy winner with his second half curler proving too good for Jordan Pickford – who was one of just three players to retain their places from the Panama game.

Roberto Martinez went one further with nine changes as both side went into the game fully aware that topping the group would place them in what looks like a far more dangerous half of the draw.

Both sides showed enough to suggest that both wanted to win the game, but with so many changes there was naturally a lack of cohesion in both teams, especially in the first half.

Belgium's understudies were the better side in the second half though, and the victory means they top Group H and have arguably the easier last 16 tie against Japan on Monday, while England take on Colombia on Tuesday.

It is ahead of that though that all the pre-game talk surrounded as England will face Sweden or Switzerland in the quarter-finals, should they make it, while Belgium would be up against the winners of Brazil v Mexico.

The importance of the draw is shown in the latest betting odds to win the World Cup, as despite losing England were cut from 8/1 to 15/2 by Sky Bet, while Belgium topped the group but eased slightly to 7/1 from 13/2.

Last 16 draw

England's route to the World Cup final after finishing runners-up in Group G

Januzaj goal

Opta Stats

  • Belgium have now won their last seven World Cup first round group stage games. They’d won just eight of their previous 24 at this stage of the competition.
  • This is the first time in their 15 appearances at the World Cup that England have failed to keep a clean sheet in the first round group stages of a tournament.
  • Belgium have won all three of their group stage games in consecutive World Cup appearances, the first nation to do so since both Argentina and the Netherlands in 2010 and 2014.
  • Belgium are just the third team to have a 100% win ratio at the 2018 World Cup, after Uruguay and Croatia.
  • This is the first World Cup match that England failed to score in that didn’t finish 0-0 since losing 0-1 vs Portugal in 1986.
  • England had 11 shots in this match but failed to score. They also had 11 shots in their previous match against Panama, scoring six times.
  • Belgium’s goal came from their first shot of any kind in the second half.
  • Adnan Januzaj’s goal was his first for Belgium in what was his ninth appearance for the national side.
  • Danny Welbeck’s appearance from the bench means that England have used all 20 outfield players in the 2018 World Cup.
  • Danny Welbeck had just three touches in this match, with one of those being one of England’s two shots on target in the whole game.

Panama 1-2 Tunisia

Tunisia ended their World Cup campaign with a 2-1 win over Panama in the other Group G game to finish in third place.

Panama led at half time thanks to a Yassine Meriah own goal, but the Africans came back in the second half to grab all three points with goals from Fakhreddine Ben Youssef and Wahbi Khazri.

Opta Stats

  • Tunisia’s victory over Panama means they have won just their second World Cup game and their first since beating Mexico in 1978 (3-1) in what was their debut in the competition.
  • Panama’s defeat means they have become the first nation since Serbia and Togo in 2006 to lose each of their first three World Cup games.
  • Panama’s goal means that this is the first ever World Cup tournament in which every single side has scored at least two goals in the competition.
  • Tunisia’s Wahbi Khazri is the first player to register 2 goals and 2 assists at the 2018 World Cup.
  • Tunisia’s Wahbi Khazri had more touches in the opposition box (8), created more chances (4), had more shots (5) and more shots on target (3) than any other player in this game between Panama and Tunisia.

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Page last updated at 2112 BST on 28/06/18

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